Return Of Friendship's Spirit
by Spirit Of Fantasy
Summary: Fifty years have passed in Equestria, and much of the land has been desolated by dark forces that know only destruction. The elements of harmony are all gone, and only princess Twilight remains. But hope comes in the form of a mysterious white mare with no memory, no voice, and no identity of her own. However, that will not stop her from joining Twilight and bringing back harmony.
1. Prologue: The Awakening

Prologue: The Awakening

 _Ambition, curiosity, understanding… All of which are a relevant testament of one's desire to explore and learn the wonders of the world. Some result in great discoveries that benefit all beings that struggle and even suffer. While at other times, such things can result in chaos and even the corrupting influence of greed. Through endless periods of time, such things happened all the time, some in small doses, others in great doses that could change the world in good or bad ways._

 _This story tells of one's ambition leading to a world to great chaos. With that grave mistake, it has costed her almost every pony she held close to her heart. This evil, created by her own accord now roamed the great world, known as Equestria. The fault was her own, she pleaded for forgiveness and a chance at redemption for what she had created. Then… After fifty long years of silence and isolation by her own wishes that were driven by shame, there was an answer._

 _It came subtle like, right under the noses and weary eyes of many colorful and different ponies. Ponies of four great races, Earth pony, Pegasus, unicorn, and finally the mighty Alicorns. Though this answer was one of no certain pony race, this was something else… A hero… All too different…_

It all began with a small light that twinkled through the mass pitch blackness. It then grew into a glorious six pointed star that slowly turned purple and illuminated the darkness. It was then that it burst with light that lit up the entire stone area, and the water a lone pony laid in. This mare slowly blinked her pure white eyes that took in sight and vision for the very first time. She turned her head to the stone pillars around the edges of a great stone room, before looking down to the water.

A light and bright rainbow color glowed and made the stone ceiling glitter with hidden gems. It was like the water itself was made of rainbows that soaked her snow white coat. The mare slowly began to lift herself up and out of the water till she was sitting on her flank. This allowed her to see a bit of her reflection in the water, her eyes were completely white except for her pupils. Her mane and tail were slightly shorter than the average, but glittered the moment they lifted out of the water.

She gave a sigh of relief and looked around to see five engraved pillars around her. She looked to all five of them, the markings on each showed three apple, three butterflies, a cloud with a lightning bolt, three balloons, and three diamonds. She slowly got up to look at each pillar, only to almost fall to her belly, for she had never walked before. Her four legs were wobbly, and her hooves felt like jelly. She grunted, but discovered that she could not utter a word.

It was like she was a baby, but she could think like an adult would. She had trouble walking and now she couldn't speak, this was frustrating for her at first. At least until she finally manage to stood up nice and tall and slowly start walking towards the first pillar she could see. Her legs felt like baby legs with weights on them, she tried her best to get walking down. Finally she dropped to a kneel the moment she arrived to the three apple pillar, she took a moment to catch her breath.

She then looked up to the pillar slowly,it felt like it was looking back down to her. Her head tiled as the water slowly drained out from her dull white mane and tail at last. The release of water seem to make her feel less encumbered before she slowly began to reach for the pillar.

"Well it's about time there partner! Fetch plenty of yer beauty sleep?"A very southern like voice suddenly echoed through the strangely crafted cave and nearly made her learn how to jump to the ceiling.

"I'm still a bit skeptical that this will work…! But like you said… We don't have any other options…!"Another voice suddenly spoke a bit morbidly to the other.

"Ooh, I hope she can fix what's happened! I hope I hope I hope!"A very excited voice echoed in and made the first one groan.

"Easy now, darling. You don't want to spook the only one that could save our world,"A more elegant voice chimed in to calm the last voice that chirped with excitement,"Though I do want to comment that her mane could use a serious drying and brushing...!"

"Please… We really need your help… We know this is a lot to ask of you, but-"A very quiet, but friendly voice came in to try and put the mare's spirit at ease.

"Now hold on every pony…! Lets do this nice and easy fer the poor mare,"The first voice insisted before she could finally talk with the white mare once more,"You probably have a lot of questions, and yer probably confused as a dog seeing it's own reflection. So just head on out that there tunnel to yer left…!"

The mare looked to her left and saw a small, but very well sculpted tunnel to her left. She could see but the faintest bit of golden and sparkling light emanate from it. She looked back to the pillar and tilted her head to the side before putting her hoof to her heart out of a bizarre and somber feeling.

"When you get out there, you'll experience a whole new world out there little missy,"The voice explained further with a bit more serious of a tone,"In that world, you will see a pretty big place in the distance called Ponyville. By then, you'll start to learn why yer here…!"

"Really? That's all she gets?!"The second voice exclaimed with a bit of resentment for the lack of information.

"Well, yeah! Too much info may be too much fer her and she'll get driven crazy,"The first voice argued back before focusing back on the mare,"Now go… And brace yerself for the world outside…! It's important that you stay strong out there. Equestria needs you…!"

"Everything and every pony needs you…!"All the voices announced before suddenly going silent, allowing the mare to take it in.

She took in a deep breath to process all the knowledge she was given right then and there. A world called Equestria needed her, it was in some sort of grave trouble from what she heard. The big place known as Ponyville was where she needed to go to start learning what happened. Plus, they actually believe that she may be what they need to help save this world of Equestria. Upon exhaling and relieving her mind full of knowledge, she nodded and found new found strength for it.

Slowly she lifted one hoof up, and put it back down before she was then walking. There was no more struggle, only strength that filled her legs and allowed her to properly walk. Her hooves splashed quietly in the water as she wore a soft and relaxing look to keep her cool. She had no clue why she was here or why they needed her help, but she awoke in this place for a reason. And these five voices gave her a purpose that she must fulfill in hopes of finding out who she was.

Finally the white mare walked out of the water and into the small tunnel. She quickly did a quick shake through her whole body to ring out whatever water remained on her body. Before she then began to follow the ray of gold light that suddenly warmed her face. This definitely felt like the way to go, pleasant things seemed very right to follow. She continued to walk through the tunnel, following the warm light that grew brighter and brighter with each passing minute.

She almost wanted to purr for the warmth her body felt after soaking in cold water. Suddenly as she turned a corner in the tunnel, the light became bright, and shined in her eyes. She covered her eyes for a moment to blot out the excess light, till it then began to go dim. Slowly her arm went down to see what the light could reveal, and saw bushes and trees, all brown and deep green. They blew in a gentle breeze as she neared the exit of the tunnel, where a bright blue sky, and a sun greeted her.

She grasped with a tiny smile and suddenly felt the energy surge in her body. It got her running towards the tunnel's opening and feel the great embrace of the light all around her. She finally exited the tunnel and went through a patch of shrubs. He then found herself looking out to the sky as she ran at full speed through some tall grass before a great view came to her. It arrived the moment she came to the edge of a hill top, allowing her to see the wondrous world of Equestria.

A bright and shining white and yellow orb showed itself to be the cause of the warm light. It was slowly rising to the blue sky from so very high, the sight of it was so beautiful. Her white eyes glittered to see such a lovely scene, before she then looked to a mountain to the left. There she could see the warm light giving circle show a great city in the distance, perched upon the mountain side. It was like it was crafted from stone and gold, a glorious sight, but it was not the place she was meant to go to.

So with a sigh, she looked to the next area that was dead ahead, right in front of her eyes. She could see the shadow of another place being lifted to reveal a strangely familiar place. It was like she had been there at one time, but she just couldn't remember it. What did trigger for her, was the hay roof tops and stone wall buildings that spoke of hard work and honesty. She tilted her head, and finally felt in her heart that this civilization was the town known as Ponyville.

She nodded and began to make her way down the hill, only to be fixated by the giant tree in the distance. It sparkled in the distance with many different colors, just like the water she woke in. The tree was very alluring, and it was just pass the town too. There was much for her to explore, and possibly only a limited time for her to explore the town and walk to the castle. However, she would be forced to make more time after hearing a commotion to her left.

She looked to the left and there she was able to see an old looking farm, surrounded by fields of trees. The trees held millions of apples in their branches, bringing more color to the farm. The barn was barely red any more thanks to all the paint that chipped off from the weather. The windmill was rusty and barely able to turn, and sounded like grinding steel. The wood house was in the center was the center piece to the old farm that appeared to be withered and ready to come down.

It was a bit of a sad sight for the mare, though she did not know why it made her sad. She was quick to shake her head and put her sadness behind her the moment she saw some pony at the house. It looked to be an older mare of creamy vanilla colored to go with a red mane and tail. She appeared to be arguing with what looked like two black Earth pony stallions. They were hard to define, for they looked exactly alike, even the strange white runic symbols all over their bodies.

They looked to be fighting with the mare, and she wasn't giving in to them. This appeared to trigger them, as one stallion lashed out and punched the mare across the head. Knocking her to the ground, and sending her old folk glasses flying off her rusted golden eyes. The white mare gasped with a jump of fear that rattled her body, only to quickly be replaced by a deep anger. It was like the anger was quick to burn away her fear and force her towards the farm.

She bolted down the hill, blowing off the town as she went to help the old mare. She was now feeling a purpose form for her, this world was vast and full of mystery to her. And now this was where she had to start her journey, following her heart to a farm.

 _ **So here's the new story, hope it pique's your interest and fills you all with many questions to ask. Questions and curiosity is more than welcome to bring more anticipation to the story and inspire me to keep going with this story. Stay Pony every one.**_


	2. Chapter 1: Equestria's New Arrival

Chapter 1: Equestria's New Arrival

"Now what were you saying about not sending your apple supplies to the forest,"The pitch black, runic stallion questioned to the older mare he had just assaulted,"Ponyville is on it's last leg…! Your princess is worthless, the sun and moon princesses have condemned you all to death…! Your faith now belongs to us…!"

"Y'all ain't even real ponies, all the lying, ignorance, torment, greed… I wouldn't trust you monsters with a carrot,"The mare spat before slowly getting up and shrugging off her throbbing cheek,"I ain't trusting you goons with my life, or my farm…!"

"Then maybe you'll trust that if you keep trying to deny the old castle it's supplies. Your farm will go up in flames,"The Earth pony's partner in crime threatened before pulling a dagger out from under his a white stone saddle they both wore,"Your tough guy brother Mac ain't here to stop us any more…! And your stubborn big sister is definitely not around to keep us away any more!"

"You're alone! This is our world now…! So you better get use to it!"The Earth pony commanded as his white runes glowed and echoed with buzzing noises.

"Never…!"The mare picked up her folk glasses that were now cracked up.

"Have it your way then,"Suddenly the Pegasus gripped her by the robe she wore and yanked her close to his face,"Maybe this will get our point across…! Apple Bloom!"

He reared back, his hoof glowed white like a hot iron that targeted her face. He readied to break her jaw in two and cripple the old one forever, but one pony would not have that. The stomp of a hoof threw a blast of wind that slapped against the sides of the thugs. They froze and turned to their left and looked to see the mysterious mare of white standing tall. The wind began to blow as the stallions fell silent, feeling a strange oddity of emotion that the mare appeared to give off about her.

"You have any business with this mare? You'll have to wait your turn stranger!"The Earth pony called out as the mare snorted hot air out through her nose, this new emotion of anger was all too intense for her.

"Oh… If I didn't know any better… I would think this one wants to be a little freedom fighter,"The other Earth pony assumed the more obvious answer with a snicker,"I'll warn you now, there is no place for freedom fighters and do gooders…! Only torture and death awaits those poor saps these days!"

"So If I were you. I'd high tail it back to whatever rock you crawled out of little mare…!"The Earth pony demanded.

"Go…! You don't have to be a hero here! Just run to Ponyville! It's safe there!"The old mare now known as Apple Bloom begged the mare to run before getting back hoofed back to the ground.

"You shut the hay up old mare…! No pony told you to get involved in our-"The partner Earth pony yelled, and was awarded by a rock smacking against his head for his cruelty.

"Wow…! Hey, there's a rock coming at ya…! The freedom fighter's challenging you,"The Earth pony laughed at his friend while his partner shook off the blow,"Why don't you do something about her?"

He looked back to see the mare brushing her hoof into the ground to challenge them. The assaulted stallion brushed the dirt from the rock off his head and ears while his partner chuckled at him. He growled and brushed his own hoof in the dirt to accept the mare's challenge. He snorted, then took a firm and solid stance with his head lowered as was a means of fighting with brute force for Earth ponies. He then prepped a hot white hoof and swooped in towards the white mare like a hungry and very angry hawk.

"This is what freedom fighters get for interfering with our affairs!"He yelled and prepared to swing a hard hoof against the mare that closed her eyes to brace.

She almost wanted to regret her assault on the stallion now that he was on her. She waited for her first real taste of pain, but it never came to her for the longest time. She tilted her head and slowly opened her eyes to see her attacker caught in a most peculiar magic. She gasped to see a blue magic enveloping the burly stallion entirely, he was completely frozen in it's grasp. The mare looked around for the source of the magic, and only found it once she looked up to see a wavy bubble of magic coming from her forehead.

"What…? Magic…?! There hasn't been a magic like this since… The old days,"The attacking stallion gasped with confusion and struggled against the magic that held him firmly in the air,"Let me go you insolent blank slate of a mare! Or you will suffer the consequences!"

The mare decided to try and do just that, but all she could do is focus and do what she did to trigger it. After a strong moment of focusing, she heard the ground rumble underneath her hooves. Dirt and grass went flying after the ground suddenly exploded from all around her. The mare then opened her eyes just in time to see many colorful gem stones and minerals shooting from around her. The gems shot like speeding bullets, the magic at that time had finally released the dark Pegasus.

He was unable to move in time before the speeding gem stones suddenly tore into his body like a machine gun. The white mare gasped to see the Earth pony scream before the gemstones smashed into the revealed stone body of the stallion. He shocked her by spewing out white liquid all over the ground. His head crumbled and smashed to pieces of black stone that littered the grass. The spread shot of gem stones finally stopped as quickly as they appeared, leaving a broken vile stallion crumbling apart and oozing out white fluids.

The mare backed away before she was able to release him, allowing the stallion to crash to the dirt. His white runes slowly began to fade away and cease their light, as if the white liquid was the source of the runes glow. With a final breath, the stallion slowly laid out flat, dying as if he were a machine. His Earth pony comrade was in shock and failed to find the words to say about this. While Apple Bloom slowly got up to see what the mare did with blue magic she could use, even without a horn.

"That magic… I haven't seen a magic like that in ages…"The red headed mare was in awe to see such old magic be used to vanquish the enemy.

"How dare you…! Do you know what you have just done…?! You have killed one of us,"The other black stallion yelled with out rage after finding his voice,"Now your days are numbered! Your life shall now be destroyed by hooves of the _YANGS_!"

While the mare looked to her head with complete mixed feelings of uncertainty. She failed to see the stallion charge at her full force and lift up to his back legs to lunge at her. She looked forward once more to see the stallion as he wrapped his hooves around her neck and pin her to a tree. She grabbed his hooves with her own to resist, as she experienced choking and pain for the first time. Her eyes felt like they were bulging, her neck burned as he applied pressure to take away her air.

She struggled for air, choking silently and struggled to get him to let her go. Apple Bloom was quick to spring into action by running and picking up an old hoe to use. She charged at the stallion and went to smack him in the noggin, only to suddenly see yet another spectacle.

"What the hay…is happening…?"The stallion questioned before an orange aura flashed around the mare before unknown strength was at her command.

She grunted and strained before she was forcibly taking his hooves off her neck. He struggled and tried to summon all his strength to wrap his hooves around her neck once more. But it became more than obvious that she had suddenly gained incredible muscle. She was bending his hooves back and away from her to the point that they were forced to his sides, his body started to crack away. The white mare then wrapped her forearms around his torso to put him in a squeeze of her own.

Before the thug knew it, he was in the mother of all torturous bear hugs. He gagged and hollered as white fluid poured from his mouth, his whole torso cracked away like dead leafs. The mare only squeezed tighter and tighter, till his runic symbols drained away to nothing. The dark pony was quickly spewing out more fluid like a geyser before his head went limp. At that very moment, his whole mid section then shattered to dusts and chunks of black stone that went all over the mare's body.

She shook her head to rid the dust that fell into her white mane before the dust could settle. When she was able to see again, all she saw was a black stallion statue laying in two. A puddle of his white liquid grew under his body as she let out a sigh and held a hoof to her heart. She took deep breaths, they appeared to help her manage the fear that was doing a number on the white mare. This new emotion was less than appreciated, and the moment she began to calm down, she was happy to feel the fear disappear.

This left the mysterious mare with the next order of business to take care of. Explaining herself to the old mare she had just rescued from two rough thugs that dared to destroy everything Apple Bloom had. However she could not utter a phrase or any sort of word to the old mare.

"Well… I can't say you're one to listen to your elders when they tell you to run,"Apple Bloom started off for her as the write mare kicked away a piece of the stone stallions,"But I owe you my life for saving my family's farm stranger. Where did a good citizen like you come from?"

The mare thought about her answer and smiled before pointing to the hill behind her. This made the mare look at her with complete disbelief, for the hill she pointed to was a serious land mark. For the hillside tunnel was more than just a place that the white mare awoke in.

"You came from the Harmony shrine? That can't be right at all…!"Apple Bloom didn't want to believe the white mare, but her odd bouncing and insistent pointing showed sincerity and honesty.

She then fell over onto her back and simulated what happened to her before she left. It was a simple game of charades, from the moment she opened her eyes and struggled to walk. To the voices that spoke to her, she was incapable of speaking, and that became obvious to the old mare. Finally she ran in place to say that she ran out of the tunnel to see the big and vast world. Finally she did the classic hoof above her eyes to say that she saw Apple Bloom being attacked and chose to race down the hill and help.

"My goodness… Did you…? Recognize the voices you heard at all? Did they seem… Familiar?"Apple Bloom asked and was given a shrug from the mare in turn.

She then finished her explanation by simply pointing to the town in the distance. Moving her lips to simulate the voices telling her to go to the town, she then concluded by writing something in the dirt. With the sharp tip of her hoof, she wrote the name, _Twilight_ , and Apple Bloom knew the name right off the bat.

"They told you to go to Ponyville and seek out princess Twilight? How strange,"Apple Bloom admitted while the mare nodded and bounced with noticeable excitement,"Well… I'll warn you now, princess Twilight hasn't come out of her rainbow castle in fifty years…! No pony understands why she chose to just hold herself up in her castle… But I know why… And I wish she would stop blaming herself for what happened…"

The white mare tilted her head and lowered her ears with curiosity about what happened. Her confusion was noticed and responded to with more confusion from Apple Bloom. Only for the vanilla colored mare to sigh and understand why she did not know of the history that took place fifty years ago.

"Look… Don't worry about it… If that's where you gotta go, then by all means you do what you gotta do,"Apple Bloom explained while the white mare nodded and was ready to leave,"Before you head off, I need to know. Do you at least got a name every pony can call you?"

The mare paused and suddenly gasped with the realization that she had no name. She looked down to think for a moment about the fact that she had no name, it made her white cheeks go red. She then looked back up and gave Apple Bloom a quick shake of her head.

"Well… Since you got no name, and you can't figure a name out for yourself,"Apple Bloom decided to make a name for the white mare and gave it a little thought after seeing how unknown and mysterious the mare was,"Since you're pretty much new and have no memories, no voice, no nothing… How about we call you… Blank Slate…!"

The mare had to think about that name for a second, she would feel insulted if the name wasn't such an honest truth. She shrugged and accepted the name by giving Apple Bloom a nod. She accepted her new name and then turned to the town, now that she had a name, she could blend in as a real pony.

"Well then Blank Slate… Brace yourself for what you may find at Ponyville. Shambles, misery, disharmony,"Apple Bloom gave the white pony a last minute warning before she left,"Harmony has long been dead…! Along with my sister and many of her friends… And Twilight may be our only hope to making things right again…"

Blank Slate looked back to Apple Bloom slowly with a small smile and a nod. She then began to make for the town of Ponyville, she walked slowly to look to the farm around her. The apple trees shined with many ripe apples that still grew after fifty long and rough years. She couldn't help but kick the first apple tree she came across, forcing an apple to fall right into her hoof. Apple Bloom's jaw dropped, the form and ease of what Blank did was a instant trip down memory lane.

"How strange… My sister use to buck apple trees just like that…"Apple Bloom couldn't help but notice the oddity of the white mare as she slowly waved the mare off.

Blank looked over the apple thoroughly and tilted her head with interest. She opened her mouth and took a big bite out of the apple, her taste buds felt as if they were bursting with joy. The apple was juicy and succulent, it was as if her thirst and hunger was tamed by this one fruit. She continued to eat the red crispy fruit as she walked upon the old dirt road she oddly felt familiar with. Her eyes looked forward to the town of Ponyville, many wonders swam through her mind.

Only to be derailed by a foul wind that chilled the side of her face to grasp her attention. That was the moment she turned to her left to see a deep and dark forest in the distance. Purple and black smoke rose from the pitch black trees that looked almost dead and evil. The mere sight of the forest made her want to put a pep in her step to reach the town a little bit faster. She gulped, feeling a deep anger begin to rise from within her once again, clearly the forest became some sort of trigger for her.

Whatever reason it had for angering her, she hoped for the reason to be answered by this princess Twilight. Till then, she kept her eyes forward to the town, ignoring the dark and evil's of the forest. While glowing white eyes were watching her from the tops of the trees with great then began to disappear back into the forest, where dark deeds were being committed in mass. Even when evil suddenly stirred and trembled with great worry, something it has not done for fifty years.

 _ **Let the friendly and curious questions flow my friends. I hope you're all liking this story, it's a bit different, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Believe me there's much more to come later on so stay tuned, and stay pony every one.**_


	3. Chapter 2:The Town Of Broken Harmony

Chapter 2:The Town Of Broken Harmony

The white mare continued along the dirt road, looking around to the nature that still thrived. The little squirrels that scurried across her path to get to their homes in the trees. Little white field mice burrowed into their holes at the edges of the dirt path, they squeaked at the mare. While the mare waved back with a big smile as if she suddenly understood what the mice had said. There was something about the animals that just filled Blank Slate with a sense of happiness and compassion for the furry friend's well being.

She looked up to see the birds chirping and flocking above her head. Giving her a fine salutations that she responded to with a whistle that both thanked the birds and wished them a lovely day. She sighed with sincere kindness and joy before turning back to the path before her. Only to see that she was entering the town she walked great distances to get to. Her ears dropped down, and shock washed over her joy as she entered a town of complete decimation.

An old sign that hung above the entrance was rocking and rumbling like old wood. It was ready to fall off right behind the mare as she looked to many stone buildings. The stones were burnt and scorched, while their hay and wood made roof tops were torn and disheveled. Some buildings were brought down to piles of brick stones and rubble, some appeared freshly destroyed. Though the real damage could be seen upon the ponies that walked among the ruined town.

Many appeared broken, sadness was the emotional theme they had on their faces. While others appeared angry and resentful of one another, it was like happiness and love was gone. No more kindness, no laughter, no generosity, no loyalty, and the store vendors she saw didn't appear honest. Especially when the unicorns were stealing money from their customers with magic. Blank was flabbergasted at the negativity in the town when there was such friendly creatures and nature all around it.

She was slow to enter the town, just before colts suddenly ran into her. She would have checked to see if the colt's were ok, if she didn't instantly realize they were groping and patting her down to look for goodies to nab. She scoffed and lifted all three colts into the air by accident with her blue magic.

"Hey, put us down…! We weren't doing anything wrong!"The first colt complained while flailing in the air.

"Bro, let it go…! We're clearly not fooling her for crap…!"The second colt was quick to just give in after they made their attempted thievery to easy and obvious to realize.

"So what's it going to be? You're gonna cut one of our hooves off now? Or maybe just curb stomp us?"Blank tilted her head and dropped the colts to their flank.

"Well, go on. Do your worst, we don't care any more…! Nothing in this world matters any more…!"The first colt complained and lowered his head to endure whatever punishment awaited him and his friends.

The white mare thought for a moment, thinking of what to do with the group of thieves. Suddenly a strange idea struck her and helped her guide the magic she wielded upon her head. She was forced to focus hard for what she had in mind for the colt's that appeared skinny and weak. Finally with a flash of blue magic, she was able to relax and let the colts slowly realize no punishment was given. In fact, all that happened was a simple means of food that stood before them, in the form of cake.

The colts slowly looked up to see the cake, it was something glorious to behold. They were frozen, seeing such a source of food that hasn't been seen in almost fifty years. The cake was pink battered with a lovely coating of white vanilla icing with cherries encircling the top. A strawberry in the center topped it off, looking like a culinary work of art that attracted ponies from all around. The group of children slowly investigated the strange food, thinking it was something of legend.

"This… This is a cake…? But… Cakes were an extinct food… Something only Sugar Cube Corner use to make…!"The second colt sniffed at the very sweet frosting that seemed two unreal.

"How is this…? Why are you giving us this…?"The third colt asked as they surrounded the cake before the other ponies surrounded them to simply look at the spectacle.

Blank only responded by pushing the cake towards the colts a little bit more. She saw how malnourished they were, and of course their desperation for food must have lead them to steal. Now that they had a bit of food to fill them up, they could actually smile a bit. Something Blank oddly wanted to see as the colts chuckled and suddenly struggled before they tearfully smiled. It was almost like they had never smiled before, and it certainly felt good to see happy children.

"Thank you… And… We're sorry we tried to mug you…"The first colt apologized, and was given a bow from the white mare before she slowly began to move on.

Blank simply waved to them before moving on through the desolated area. Allowing the colts to finally get some much needed food in themselves, while ponies watched to enjoy the sight of a cake after so long. The white mare let out a strong breath of relief to help the children. Her eyes were then able to refocus on the tree castle in the distance, still sparkling with faded rainbow magic. It glowed like a beacon to her, it was clearly a great source of the magic that remained in this world.

However her attention was then taken by the smooth cold wind that blew across her face. Her mane fluttered to the left from the breeze before she noticed and oddly familiar sight. She noticed a shambled and old castle tower looking building with many faded colors. Even then, a tingling warm feeling in her body sparked an appreciation and sense of beauty for the lovely building. She could not help but go of course one more time and walk to the old building, just to figure out what it was.

She scratched her chin and saw the windows were still intact and shiny. So at least it meant that some pony was keeping the large building in decent shape rather than letting it fall to pieces like the other buildings. Suddenly, the word "boutique" raced through her mind and made her pause. Letting the alien knowledge swim through her head before she finally made her approach. She approached the door, and was ready to knock on the door, before she heard more old mares speaking inside.

"How much longer do you think you can keep this business up, Sweetie? You're going to kill yourself trying to keep your sister's boutique running."Came the first old mare that had a bit of a tom boyish tone to it.

"I'll keep it going to the day I die, Scootaloo…! This place was special to Rarity, and by the blood, sweat and tears of my own, I will keep this boutique going!"The mare known as Sweetie made her stubborn desires clear to the one called Scootaloo.

"Fashion is basically dead you know…! And customers are soon to follow as well,"Scootaloo was morbid and ominous in her words before she sighed,"I'm only looking out for you… I don't want to lose you like I lost Rainbow…"

Blank lowered her head for a moment, only to shake off the depressing atmosphere and knock on the door. Both old mares gasped at the sudden knock, and the stumbling of clopping hooves followed. The door rumbled a bit before it was unlatched, and unlocked to be open. It was slow and screechy to open, it revealed a dimly lit boutique room full of pony mannequins. Some wore suits, and others wore old looking dresses that still had some appeal, the door finally opened wide.

Allowing one old white mare to show herself from behind the door. Her swirly mane and tail was light pink and purple, it almost reminded Blank of cotton candy in a way. She appeared shy, but tried to put on a brave face and smile for the white mare that appeared all too different.

"Well, I can tell you're certainly not from around here… Who are you?"Sweetie asked before Blank responded with a simple small smile and a shrug.

"You don't know who you are…? Can you even speak or something?"The tan Pegasus mare in the middle of the room grew curious and was given a shake of the head from the white mare.

"Are you…here for some reason…?"Sweetie asked while Blank looked around the boutique with much curiosity.

"Looks like this one's interested in window shopping. As are all Canterlot tourists and thieves…!"Scootaloo thought while Blank spooked them by running into the building and looked around to the old dresses.

"Whoa now…! Just what in the hay are you doing? Do you even have any money for these outfits?!"Sweetie asked only for Blank to be less than impressed with some of the dresses.

"I think we have ourselves a weird one here, Sweetie Belle…! This one thinks she actually knows… Fashion…?"Scootaloo started out more than mused with the mare before she displayed impossible and familiar skill.

Blank took up a yellow plain dress and used her magic to pick up sewing needles and green string. As well as a bowl of green and yellow gems both big and tiny. She placed a dark yellow doily like fabric around the color of the dressed and sewed it in along with tiny green shards of gems. She brought out matching ribbon to go around the wait of the dress and get tied into a little bow. She then pelted the ribbon with bright yellow and green gems all around the waist line of it.

She ultimately finished it with some white doily fabrics sewed into the edges of the dresses skirt line. Once it was all sewed in nice and glamorous like, she showed it off to Sweetie Belle. Just before she then slipped the dress onto Sweetie Belle and topped it off with a large yellow hat.

"This… Looks like… The kind of thing that my sister would make. All full of gemstones and stylish touches,"Sweetie looked at the dress that also matched in with the season change to spring,"How did you manage to do this…?"

"Yeah, just who exactly are you? Now it's clear you're not from around here…!"The purple maned tom boy mare questioned before Sweetie Belle was taken to the mirror.

"My goodness… This actually looks beautiful…! It goes with the season of spring we just went into,"Sweetie Belle spun around to assess the dress and take in it's new glamorous look,"This would even work with the old Grand Galloping Gala…!"

"Seriously stranger…! Please, tell us who you are? In two minutes you've become the strangest mare I have ever seen,"Scootaloo turned the mare around to show that she was more concerned and solemn than mused,"You just barged in so cocky like and started making dresses so boldly, and…amazingly…! You… You were… Just like our sisters…"

"Can you at least… Tell us where you came from?"Blank nodded to Sweetie's question and took up both of their hooves to drag them to a window.

She opened the window and looked around till she could just barely see it. She pointed a hoof all the way out in the distance outside the town, making sure they could barely see the mouth of the tunnel that lead to the shrine. The old mares gasped and felt their limbs trembling with shock. They looked down to the mare's hooves that held their own before they took in deep breaths.

"You…came from the Harmony Shrine…? But, all that's there is fifty year old tomb stones and our sisters,"Blank took notice of Sweetie's revelation and listened closely to the info,"Our sisters were buried beneath those pillars after the entities from the Ever Free Forest… Took our sister's lives…"

"We were so young, and we were powerless to stop them… Now harmony and friendship is dead,"Scootaloo stated a comment of complete hopelessness for peace being restored to Equestria,"There are times that we've been forgetting what our sisters looked like… Apple Bloom was the only one that could easily remember every pony."

Blank lit up a moment now that Apple Bloom was mentioned. Suddenly a memory clicked in her, and she felt the need to do something for the old mares now that she realized that friendships between the three old ones wasn't dead. She huffed and gripped their hooves tightly. She lifted her head and made her head glow completely blue before her eyes went pure white and glowed. The mare's gulped with a bit of worry, only to suddenly feel their vision go bright white for a second.

Suddenly the world around them changed, and before they knew it, they were standing in the middle of town. Only the town was different, it was colorful and bright with harmony. They looked around to the bright dirt ground surrounded with great green grass. The houses were no longer withered and destroyed, ponies from all around town had smiles on their faces. However, the real happiness was occurring just to their left, right at their old school house, where a memorable event had just occurred.

They looked to the scene just in time to see themselves as young fillies as well as a young Apple Bloom. Looking to their new cutie marks that they slaved and fought to get for so long. All three cutie marks had red, purple, and dull white shields with stars in the center. And in the center of those stars, was a music symbol, a scooter, and an apple, the very definition of themselves. The memories flooded into their minds, they had never been so happy to finally have their cutie marks.

However, their hearts both melted and froze the moment they actually saw them. Their beloved sisters they met up with, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo's cyan blue Pegasus sister with the tom boy rainbow mane and tail. Rarity, the white unicorn with the sparkly eyes and swirled purple mane and tail. And Applejack, the orange southern Earth pony with the blond mane and white freckles on her cheeks. The smiles on each of the grown mare's faces defined their pride for the day their sisters earned their cutie marks.

Scootaloo and Sweetie reached out and walked towards their sisters. Sweetie could now recognize her sister Rarity's elegant and lady like voice that went with her glamorous looks. While Speedy Pegasus Rainbow Dash was a mare that was hard to impress. Though Scootaloo couldn't help but still be blown away by how emotional Rainbow was to see her growing up. They slowly began to tear up, seeing their sisters at last after so long, especially together as friends, even Applejack became impossible to forget with her heavy southern voice and her stetson hat.

Finally, the mares could not hold back their emotions any more, and fell to their bellies to cry. The memories they had with their families and each other was hitting them hard. They were in deep conflict, their emotions went back and forth between happiness and sorrow.

"I miss them so much…!"Sweetie admitted her grief for the sisters they loved.

"Why did all of this happen…? Why did they have to die…?"Scootaloo asked before Blank appeared behind the two grieving mares.

She reached down, and helped both of the mares to their hooves to hug them. Letting them cry while Blank was able to take notice that the voices of the three mares were the same voices she heard in the shrine. She sighed, and closed her eyes before she felt everything around them go bright white once more.

"We'll always be with you…"Came the quiet voice of Rarity to Sweetie's ear before everything around them changed.

Suddenly, the mares were back in the boutique, everything returned to normal. Blank's eyes slowly began to dim down to nothing, allowing the magic to cease at last. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were a bit winded, but the emotions flowing through their bodies were energizing them. Their eyes were welled with tears that streamed down their cheeks. As they slowly looked to Blank with overwhelming emotion, happiness and sorrow defined their feelings towards Blank.

"Thank you… I still don't know who you are… But thank you…"Sweetie showed deep gratitude for what the white mare chose to show them out of shear kindness.

"No matter what… We owe you a ton… Friend."Scootaloo added, only for the both of them to get pat on the backs before Blank slowly began to walk away.

"Wait…! Where are you going now?"Sweetie Belle asked before wiping her face clean of tears.

Blank simply went to another window and pointed to the tree castle in the distance. The mares gasped, realizing that there was clearly something important about this mare. If she came from the Harmony Shrine and was now on her way to the rainbow castle, there was a great something being put into motion by perhaps the spirits of the shrine. However their was one thing that occurred to them regarding the castle. It was clear that if she was going to the castle, Blank was going to princess Twilight, however there was one small problem that would stand in Blank's way.

"You're heading for the rainbow castle? You won't get in there without a fight."Scootaloo warned before Blank looked back to the two old ones with curiosity.

"Yeah, if you're hoping to get in the castle. You'll have to find a way pass Spike,"Blank's ears twitched and flickered to the name she was given,"Spike use to be this really cute baby dragon back in the day. Now he's a personal body guard of the castle, and he's been shooing away visitors for the longest time…!"

The white mare simply looked back to the castle and pointed to it with defiance. Proving that she was not intimidated and she would not give up on the path that the voices wished her to follow. She went to the door to leave, contemplating on how to handle a dragon, only for the answer to call to her.

"Wait…! I have something that might help!"Sweetie Belle manage to stop Blank before rushing up the spiral stairs up to her sister's and her own bedrooms.

They stood in silence for only a few moments before Sweetie Belle returned. She carried with her an old relic in the form of a large ruby shaped like a shiny heart of love. With a skinny gold structure outlining the heart shape ruby, Sweetie presented it to Blank in kind.

"Spike once gave this prized gem to Rarity as a token of friendship and old love he hoped to kindle with my sister,"Sweetie explained and offered the large gemstone to the mysterious young mare,"Give this to him… Make him feel what you helped us feel, and he may be persuaded to let you in."

Blank took the ruby in kind and gazed upon it, seeing her eyes glitter in it's reflection. This gem of a ruby carried memories deep within, memories that picked at Blank's mind. She sighed and placed the gem in her mane for safe keeping before nodding and smiling to the old mares.

"If what you showed us is true, and you actually came from the shrine. Then maybe the time has finally come,"Sweetie Belle wanted to believe and tell Blank what she felt was happening now that they have peeked at what Blank was,"You were sent here from the spirits of our sisters to pick up where they left off with the _Yang ponies_ …! You are the savior we've been praying for in the pass fifty years…!"

"But first you need to get to Twilight. She's the key to figuring this enemy out, and knowing what the Yang's want,"Scootaloo jumped in with what she now felt and believed,"Please… She is a broken princess of friendship in a desolate world… But we can now believe that you can fix what's been broken."

Blank gave one tiny nod and finally turned around to leave the boutique. She felt satisfied to have helped the two mares get in touch with their friendship they carried as young fillies. As well as the love and memories they shared with their big sisters before everything came to pass. They waved to the mysterious mare of white, feeling hope becoming an entity for the world once more. And all that hope rested with the white mare that held the powers and memories of the mares they loved.

"Good bye… And good luck…"Sweetie said to herself before the mare was out the door and on her way to the castle.

 _ **Hopefully that wasn't too rushed for you guys. If so I am sorry. There's plenty more to come and I will make sure there is plenty for you all to enjoy in the future. Also If you guys would help, I'd like your opinions on what you would like to see more of. I wanna work more on Shadow Swirl's origin and I feel like I'm going to slow with progress on both stories, so I need votes. Would you all like to see more of this story or Aiden's Adventures? Stay pony every one.**_


	4. Chapter 3: The Heart Broken Dragon

Chapter 3: The Heart Broken Dragon

Finally after her long and eventful journey through the fresh new world she barely knew. Blank Slate was finally approaching the destination given to her by the voices in the Harmony shrine. Before her stood the towering tree castle of purple that twinkled with rainbow magic. As she drew nearer to the great tree of magic, it felt as if something from the tree beckoned her to the place. As if some sort of great memory was stirring through her whole body, she felt an instant attachment.

"You felt that right? That instant connection to the rainbow castle,"The southern accented voice suddenly asked Blank the obvious question that she kindly nodded to,"Good… That means the magic in the castle is still very much alive, and you can spread it across Equestria."

"But first you'll need to get pass Spike… Oh that poor Spikey wikey,"The elegant lady like voice added and sighed with deep solemness,"Please, if what my sister said is true. Do not begrudge Spike for being defensive and mean… I'm sure he is just as heart broken as Twilight was…"

"Just give the little guy the ruby and maybe he'll lighten up and let you in…! Plain and simple."The self righteous and tomboyish voice was more cut and dry about what to do.

"And please don't hurt Spike… He was one of the most precious little friends we've ever known…"The shy and quiet voice made a little request for Blank.

"We'll never stop loving our wittle Spikey Wikey!"The excitable voice chimed in and sounded as if she was bouncing again.

"Who nelly. Hang on y'all…! Looks like you got company Blank…! Good luck!"The southern voice warned before the white mare froze and looked to the castle.

Right at the steps of the castle leading to an ancient castle like door, a familiar sight was before her. A Pegasus, Earth pony, and a unicorn group of stone ponies stood at the door. The Earth pony was currently banging on the door to the castle, while his comrades cracked their hooves. It was more than likely that they were looking for more trouble, and they were going to get it. Blank made a slow and steady approach to the castle, her ears perked up as the stone mare began to shout.

"Open up princess Twilight! You can shut out your worthless subjects, but you can't shut us out,"The mare's runic body glowed bright white like white fire as she pounded at the door,"We will bust this door down and drag you out if you have to, but you are going to pay us if you don't want to see the town get raided again!"

They waited for only a moment, hoping to get a response from those he resided inside. However, it as no surprise to the three thugs that no pony answered, and nothing stirred inside. This angered the Earth pony mare as she growled and turned around to unleash her fury on the door. She reared back and bucked the door, unleashing a shock wave of white magic that swung the doors open. They slammed wide open, allowing the stone ponies to take a step into the castle before they sensed company approaching.

The mare was able to turn just in time to see a gem stone fly right at her. Cracking her in the right eye, blinding her half way and angering her more than it seemed to harm her. Once she was able to recover and look to their attacker, there they saw Blank standing before them.

"Some pony has a lot of nerve to be playing hero in a world where heroes simply die,"The mare growled as she grasped her eye for a moment as white liquid leaked from it down her cheek,"I don't suppose you're in cahoots with princess Twilight? Any pony working for that wretch winds up dead sooner or later…!"

"Hold on…! I've heard of this mare of white…! The two stallions we sent off to Sweet Apple Acres perished to a white mare,"The Pegasus recognized Blank by an unknown reason that seemed connected to their runic bodies,"I believe this is the mare they bare witnessed to before falling to this mare."

"How did a mare of absolute nothingness defeat two stallions of substantial strength?"The unicorn questioned before he stepped forward with an urge to throw down with Blank.

"That does not matter…! All that matters is that this mare has just condemned herself to death!"The mare spat and pointed to Blank, demanding her blood for compensation.

The unicorn was more than ready to run in head strong with a glowing white horn. The Pegasus decided to wait and see how Blank fought before he entered the fight. Blank decided to go with the same move as she did before, focusing her magic and unearthing all the gems she could sense underground. They sprouted, and were quickly being shot at her attacker like a mini gun. Only for the unicorn stone stallion to form a bubble like shield around his whole body, she gasped with shock.

Since her first option was off the table, she was out of ideas already. For she did not know how to properly muster the great strength she used on the last stone pony. She thought for a moment as the unicorn approached, ready to ram his glowing hot horn through her chest. Suddenly she felt the word jump scream through her head and command her body to leap into the sky. She closed her eyes as she ascended and felt the wind of the unicorn below her, as she now floated in the air.

Her foes dropped their jaws, seeing the mare of white floating high in the air. Blank felt the anger around her wither to confusion, forcing her to open her eyes and looked to the enemy. Only to look around and see that she was flying in the air, even when she did not possess wings. She looked at herself, trying to come to grips with yet another new ability she appeared to have. Strangely enough, it felt just as natural as the immeasurable strength she possessed before.

"I don't see wings on this mare. How is she flying?!"The unicorn hissed as Blank tested herself out and did a few swerves and swoops through the air.

"Strength… control over all gemstones within the very soil itself,"The lead mare assessed what they saw Blank was able to do so far,"This mare is no ordinary do gooder. She seems to carry many abilities much like our employer…! However these ones appear…familiar."

"I don't like it…!"The Pegasus cringed at the spectacle of the unicorn looking about ready to throw a tantrum.

"Enough with these spectacles you silent soft little filly! Come down here and fight me!"The unicorn demanded as he aimed his horn at Blank and began to fire off clusters and blasts of magic.

Blank worried for a moment, only for sudden unknown experience kicked in. She dodged and spun through the air, seeing as the unicorn sacrificed accuracy for pure power. Small explosions sounded from all around her, but she was officially flying smooth and easy in the wind. She was elegant and fast, her speed made it almost impossible to keep track of Blank in the air. She herself was enjoying the rush of wind through her white mane as she decided to test out how fast she could go.

"Don't you toy with me you wretched mare! I'll kill everything you care for!"The unicorn interrupted her fun and triggered Blank a bit, provoking her to test her speed out on him.

She huffed and shot high into the sky before performing a series of spins for momentum. Once she was pass the clouds, Blank's spins collected the clouds and made them swirl around her. She then looked down and narrowed her sights on the angry unicorn and locked onto him as a target. She then felt the ultimate rush through her body as she shot down like a speeding comet. The clouds separated along with a sonic boom of wind before Blank could no longer hear anything.

She could barely keep her eyes open as she descended with blinding speed. She just barely got a deep glimpse into the eyes of the stone unicorn before everything exploded around her. Dust and white magic flew in every direction like a great shock wave of power. Blank felt herself go clean through the soil and her foe, white liquid sprayed all over her as stone piece flew everywhere. Her legs went deep into the earth, until she finally felt some solid ground and looked around the clouds of dust.

Slowly upon the settling of the dirt she kicked up with her flying spectacle. Blank stood tall in a small crater of her own making, her first attacker laid in many pieces, white fluid pooled around her. Blank looked at herself, a bit scared for her abilities, but mostly just impressed. Once she could completely see the area, there was two more enemies looking on with signs of intimidation. The leader chose to ignore her unnerved feelings and growl as Blank simply climbed out of the crater.

"Sound barrier breaking flight…! That's impossible…! Only The Element Of Loyalty held such daunting flight speeds,"The stone mare assessed even further as her Pegasus counterpart sprouted his wings in defiance,"This mare is officially a serious problem. We'll both take her on, and terminate her before she becomes a serious threat…!"

"Very well… Princess Twilight can wait I suppose… She's not going anywhere any time soon."The Pegasus agreed as they left the castle, just barely missing green eyes that glared at them from the shadows of the the room they tried to enter.

"You're going to regret ever toying with the Yang's endeavors stranger…! Every would be hero usually does."The mare dared to try and discourage Blank, only to get a stubborn and brave face in return.

Blank huffed and waited for both ponies to make their move on her. She tensed up, feeling her muscles suddenly begin to gain their bizarre and immeasurable muscle once again. However, Blank did not need to waste her strength on the enemy any more the moment she saw a purple scaly tail emerge from the darkness. It shot forward, ramming clean through the runic stone mare like a spear. She yelled, white liquid spewed from her screaming mouth as the Pegasus froze up.

He turned to the scene as Blank looked on with great shock at the spectacle. The foe was slowly lifted off the ground and brought back towards the entrance to the castle. That was when the great number one assistant brought his face out of the darkness with a deep growl. The purple dragon with shiny scales stood tall, still barring a baby face with a tall tone body that was sleek He brought the mare straight to his face and opened his mouth full of dagger like teeth.

"No… We forgot about the pet..."The mare gasped as the dragon hissed and gripped the stone pony's head with both sets of claws.

With a roar he slowly pulled at her head and cracked away at his victims head. Before he knew it, her head exploded into dust and large splatter of white fluid that spurted all over his face. He then looked to the Pegasus that directed his attention back at him and took to the air. The dragon flung his tail and tossed the headless body of his victim to the dirt where it nearly crackled apart. The dragon then turned to the combative stone Pegasus and roared as he curled his claws into fists.

"Princess Twilight's pet… Spike… The dragon with a pony's heart…!"The Pegasus announced the dragon's name to mock the tall dragon.

Spike responded by jumping with speed and height as he went to swing at the stallion. The Pegasus avoided the up swing and rammed his head into the dragon's sleek belly. Only for the dragon to back hand him and sink his teeth deep into the stallion's neck. He felt the tasteless white liquid on his tongue before the Pegasus quickly rammed the dragon against the castle's tree trunk. He got free, and threw the dragon to his back before shooting up and coming down with a big swing.

Spike rolled over just in time to avoid a solid hoof that cracked a hole in the ground. He then swung his claws and sliced the arm of the stallion clean off before following up with a tail swing. His tail connected with the Pegasus's side like a bat to a base ball, sending him soaring. The attacker crashed to the dirt and choked on a bit of white liquid before rolling to his back. Just in time to see that Spike jumped into the air, and had now came down hard, smashing a fist through the stallion's gut.

His fist made it clean through the stallion's body and chipped his wings apart. Putting an end to his advantage in the air as white fluid splashed all over Spike's body and arm. The Pegasus thrashed and wriggled like a warm, swinging his hooves wildly at the dragon. Spike responded by grabbing the lower part of the stallion's body and began to pull in both directions. The stone pony groaned and slowly escalated into a shout before Spike finally pulled the enemy in two.

Dust coated his face along with a big burst of white liquid, as the dragon held the stone foe in both claws. He tossed both pieces of the enemy in both directions, and released a primal roar to the sky. He slowly came down from his victorious roar and began to wipe himself clean of dust a fluids.

"Cursed Yangs…! Stirring up trouble outside the castle."The dragon spat in a pubescent voice before shaking himself clean of any remaining filth he had on his body like a dog.

He then remembered the mare the three thugs were fighting and looked around. Only to see the white mare standing right before him, her head almost reached his neck in height comparison. He was almost spooked by the mare and needed at least a few feet of space to look to her properly. Blank simply remained where she was, wearing a smile coming from unknown joy to see this powerful dragon. Spike was baffled by the smile she gave him, as he cleared his throat, making her out to be a civilian.

"Where did you come from? Don't you know that civilians aren't allowed near the rainbow castle,"Spike asked and was answered with Blank pointing to the castle itself,"And they're especially aren't allowed IN the castle. No pony has been welcomed here in almost fifty years…!"

Blank sighed and took the dragon's claw into her hooves and dragged him towards a tiny hill. Allowing them to get a good view of the hills outside the town of Ponyville. He struggled a bit from her grip until she then released him and pointed to the hill where the shrine tunnel resided. He lifted an eye brow in confusion before she pointed again with more ferocity before pointing back to the castle. Spike took a moment to process and figure out what she was trying to say.

"So… You're saying you came from the Harmony shrine? Is this some kind of joke,"Blank answered his question with a nod to the first one and a shake of her head to the second question,"Can't you even say anything? Who the hay are you?!"

She sighed again, realizing the slightly slower mind of Spike struggled to process her. She responded by slapping her hoof into the dirt and writing out her name in the dirt. She pointed it out for Spike to read, and even with her name given, he still struggled to understand the mare of white.

"You are a weird one aren't you? Look, even if I were to believe you about the shrine. I can't let you in,"Spike decided to return to his role as a guardian of the castle,"Twilight stated that no pony is to disturb her. She wishes to remain in her castle and grief till the end of our days…! That's all we could ever do since the destruction of our friends…"

Blank tilted her head and huffed a bit at the stubborn dragon's denial. Only to remember the little gift she was given by Sweetie Belle, the very gift Spike once gave to a special mare. She reached into her mane and pulled out the heart shaped ruby that was fashioned into a necklace. She then presented the ruby to Spike, and the dragon's expression dropped at the same time as his heart.

"That's… That's the ruby I gave to… How…? How did you come by this,"Spike asked and slowly reached for the heart shaped ruby with claws that began to tremble,"I gave this to Rarity over fifty years ago… She loved it, and wore it for her most important parties and business meetings…!"

Spike finally took up the ruby and looked to the gem he held in both claws. He looked deeply into the ruby, seeing memories flow through his mind and portray themselves in the necklace. From the day his birthday came when he was but a potbellied baby dragon that was barely as tall as a filly. He got that very ruby for his birthday, but rather than eat it, he gave it to Rarity herself. For that he was given one of the most loving kisses to the cheek, he never forgot about that gentle kiss.

Slowly Spike brought the heart shaped gem to his chest and aching heart. The very same feeling he felt when he nearly lost Rarity to his own greed that turned him into the savage adult dragon. Now there was no Rarity that could heal his broken heart and make him feel any stronger. As tears began to well up in his eyes, he brought the ruby to his face to look into it one more time. Allowing himself to see Rarity's smile that made his whole body flutter with the love he felt for her.

"Rarity… Why did the mare of blackness have to take you away,"Spike wondered as he let the tears flow down his cheeks before lowering the ruby to see Blank still smiling in his face,"Why did you give me this? What reason could you have for giving me this…?"

Blank answered by placing the ruby back against his heart with both hooves. Spike looked down to the smiling mare, and for a moment, her smile reminded him so much of Rarity. Finally, he was becoming a believer of the mysterious mare of white being from the Harmony shrine.

"If you really have come from the Harmony shrine… Then… Maybe you can help us,"Spike realized as he put a claw on Blank's hoof and began to wipe the tears from his face," Maybe… You're the answer to all of Twilight's prayers…"

Several moments later, Spike was leading Blank Slate into the rainbow castle. It was dimly lit, the torches barely lit the hall ways with their weak flames that could easily fade away. Spike took a moment to wipe the tears from his face that partially turned red before taking her to the left. If not for Spike's shiny scales that glistened from the torch light, Blank could easily get lost. She stayed close and followed him up a spiral staircase that lead all the way up through the tree trunk.

It didn't take too long before they were up the stairs and into an array of hallways. He looked to four different hallways and decided on the middle left hall, Blank was quick to follow. Spike looked back and saw the mare looking around to a castle that had not been visited for years.

"I really hope you're telling the truth about what you're telling me. Twilight has been begging for some sort of miracle to this problem,"Spike incited to Blank as they traveled down the hallway,"Everything that's happened, everything from when she took away our disharmonic personalities. To our friends destruction… She never stopped blaming herself for all of it."

Blank thought about that for a moment and quickly nodded as they passed door after door. Finally they came to a double door with a label above it that read, library. Spike looked to Blank and slowly opened the door to a moderately sized library full of many books. He gestured Blank to walk by his side as they slowly entered the library, he then cleared his throat. Looking forward to what appeared to be a purple mare reading at a table that was hit by the only source of sunlight.

"Try to be honest… And don't be surprised by her…less than bland mood,"Spike gave Blank a piece of advise and walked forward to speak to the mare,"Twilight…? I… I brought some pony of interest. She…apparently came from… The Harmony shrine, and she was meant to find you."

"Spike…! You know what I said about visitors… No pony is allowed in the castle,"The mare sighed and slammed her book shut to look at Spike with disappointment,"I don't deserve to meet any other ponies or make any other friends…!"

She stood up, letting her pink streaked deep purple mane and tail ripple in the wind thanks to her wings. She turned her tired looking purple eyes to the mare of white that smiled and waved to Twilight. The winged unicorn only frowned, trying to brush aside the friendly greeting.

"Who are you?"Twilight questioned as her eyes discretely sparkled, just as Blank's did the same.

 _ **Hopefully that didn't feel too rushed for you guys, I was just really excited to get our hero to Twilight for the meeting. Also, I need votes for what to work on for a bit. I really want to work on Shadow Swirl's origin, so between this one and Aiden's adventures. Which of those two stories would you like to see more of? I await your votes. Stay pony everyone.**_


	5. Chapter 4:The Princess Of Broken Friends

Chapter 4:The Princess Of Broken Friendship

"Don't make me have to ask you again stranger…! Who are you, and why are you here?"The young and unchanged Alicorn once again questioned the purpose of Blank Slate's arrival.

Blank answered the question by simply pointing a hoof at Twilight. The princess tilted her head, feeling a sense of confusion from the simple gesture rather than an actual vocal answer. She turned to Spike the moment he decided to clear his throat and inform Twilight of Blank's slight problem.

"She… Can't talk, Twilight. She's a mute."Spike informed and forced a sigh from Twilight.

"Are you really from the Harmony shrine? If so, then can you remember how you came to be in the shrine,"Twilight asked, and was given a nod for the first question, and a head shake from the second one,"Then how do I know this isn't some sort of trick by the Yangs?"

Blank huffed and pondered on what to do now that she was actually here. Now she had to convince the princess that she was here to help, and hopefully find her purpose in this world. She rubbed the underside of her chin, thinking with what she learned of the world so far. Twilight was growing more and more baffled by the over exasperated thinking the white mare was doing. Only to suddenly see Blank's forehead glowing with very familiar blue blazing magic.

Blank looked up to her forehead to see the magic raging strong and fiery. Just before she was forced to focus for a moment to shoot a ray of magic into the floor and create a large veil. It shrouded them in magic before everything changed around them, turning dark and wet. Water raised to their hooves and feet, while very familiar stone structures and pillars shaped around them. Blank began to recognize the place that formed almost at the same time as Twilight did.

She looked down, and that's when the mare of white saw her very self. Glowing before her body had fully formed in the water, creating Blank's very existence before she then awoke. It felt a little strange seeing herself in the same situation she was in several hours ago. Just the fact that she came to be by an unknown magic raised a bit more questions for herself while answers were being given to Twilight. She watched herself as Blank once again slowly raised to her hooves weakly.

"You just… Awoke in the Harmony shrine… Out of nowhere…!"Spike stated what was now obvious for both mares.

"Right in the middle of the tombs that held my fallen friends…! How is this possible,"Twilight wondered as they all watched Blank's past self walking slowly through the old shrine to the first pillar,"I don't understand… Any magic in that shrine should be long dead…"

"Well it's about time there partner! Fetch plenty of yer beauty sleep?"The sudden voice of the very southern pony Twilight remembered all too well.

"Applejack…?"Twilight gasped before she was listening to all her friends conversing with Blank's past self.

Blank herself looked as surprised as Twilight and Spike appeared to be. Seeing herself several hours ago felt strange but quite refreshing to be reminded of what the mares asked of her. She looked to Twilight and Spike as they looked around to their old friend's conversation. Twilight lost her voice and resorted to shuddered breaths and sudden tidal waves of emotion. Just hearing the voices of her friends awoke some old feelings she was suppressing for the longest time.

"My friends… They sent…you…! They somehow saw what's happening and sent you to find me,"Twilight realized and looked to Blank as she shrugged her shoulders and nodded,"I don't understand… Why would they want to bother with me…? I'm the reason they're dead…!"

Blank's ears drooped and her magic suddenly ceased from the sudden reveal. The veil of magic disappeared along with the illusion that showed the past for that one big reveal. Now hey stood in the dark library shocked and full of questions for Twilight's immediate guilt in her friend's destruction.

"Twilight…! You know that's not true. You do this all the time, every time it's brought up,"Spike quietly snapped at Twilight for putting all the blame on herself,"This isn't all your fault…! We couldn't have known this would all come to pass!"

"I chose to try and change everything…! Take away the flaws of my friends and the world itself,"Twilight explained what she felt was the reason for her fault in this ruined world,"And I created the Yangs out of all the insanity, cockiness, fear, stubbornness, and ignorance I took from my friends…"

Blank raised her eye brow, her confusion once again went through the roof. The princess was speaking of all traits that made up disharmony, but mixed with good traits that created harmony. As bizarre as it sounded, the idea that Twilight could split those apart was beyond incredible. Whether it truly was her fault that the mysterious stone ponies were created from the disharmony she took away was difficult to say. But Blank was confused, and could not think of such a thing coming from such a pony.

"Whether you think it was your fault or not doesn't mean we can just shut out every pony,"Spike felt the need to argue about what they have been doing for the longest time,"This mare might be that prayer you've been begging for, and it might just be the sign that we need to come out of our hole…!"

"What's the point…?! Harmony is dead! Our friends are dead! The magic of friendship is no more…!"Twilight argued before something triggered in Blank that forced her to run behind Twilight.

Suddenly, the mare of white was shoving Twilight from behind out of the library. With her head to the princess's back she summoned her strength to push Twilight into the hall way. Moving her like a rock farmer moving a boulder without the use of tools or wheels. Twilight tried to resist Blank, but the white mare prove to be quite mysteriously strong for a slender mare. Spike slowly followed them from behind, a bit baffled, but took notice of the direction Blank was taking Twilight.

"What are you doing?! Let…go of me…! I wasn't done reading!"Twilight tried latching onto the door, but was forced off the door and getting pushed back the way Spike and Blank came.

"Stop yer squirming and lets head outside fer a bit! All this solitude has gone to yer head!"Suddenly the voice of Applejack rang through Twilight's head the moment Blank glowed orange.

"Was that…? Hey…! Stop! Where are we even going?!"Twilight questioned before they made it to the steps.

Her voice vibrated as she was then slowly moved down the steps that spiraled down to the exit. Once she realized the flight of stairs they were on, she began to resist once more. Her hooves locked into the walls, but only caused tears in the walls to form as they went down the steps. Blank remained calm and kept on pushing the princess all the way to the bottom of the steps. They were now at the door, outside laid the town she shut herself away from for so many years.

"No… No, don't you dare do this! I can't show my face to this town,"Twilight demanded as Blank pointed to the doors, and Spike gradually opened the doors for them,"The towns ponies hate me…! I ruined their lives! I ruined everything for them! I don't deserve to step hoof in Ponyville!"

Blank cared little for her rant and the insults to herself as she began to shove again. Twilight managed to lock her hooves into the door frame to resist going outside. Blank huffed and forced her head tight against the princess's back, her legs strained and tightened a bit. Summoning all the strength she needed to force Twilight out the door, yanking for chunks out of the door frame. Twilight flew for a second before flopping down the steps and face planting to the dirt.

Blank simply bounced her way down the steps, just in time to help Twilight up. The princess of friendship was ready to start going down a list of outrage all over Blank for her actions. Only to sit up and feel the warm rays of sunlight hitting her once again, She looked to the sky. Feeling a breeze blow through her dark purple mane, she inhaled the fresh air she had been missing. Looking around to the nature and serenity that surrounded Ponyville and her own castle.

"I… I almost forgot what this feels like… The sun… The wind… The life,"Twilight assessed before reaching out to let a lady bug land on her hoof to see a little critter,"Fluttershy always talked about how beautiful the outside world could be when a pony stops to take it all in…"

"And once you take it all in… It will never be forgotten…"Fluttershy herself spoke so gently within Twilight and Blank's mind.

Twilight sighed and stood up to simply let it all come back to her. She swallowed and took in the memories, the nature, the times before the darkness took control of Equestria. However with the feeling of joy peeking back into her heart, pain was quick to follow as she looked to Blank. Wondering how such a mysterious mare would be so insistent, so pushy, and so keen on helping her. She barely felt a tear leave her right eye and roll down her cheek as Blank continued to smile.

"Princess Twilight…?"Twilight froze the moment an unfamiliar voice spoke her name from behind.

They looked to the voice, seeing a mare in garbs recognize the face of Twilight. The very mention of Twilight's name drew the attention of a growing crowd of towns ponies. All of which were growing with surprise and excitement to see their princess out of her castle after so long. Twilight tried to back away, wanting to go back to her castle after immediately getting cold hooves. But Blank gave Twilight a gentle nudge towards the ponies that quickly began to grow into a crowd.

"Princess Twilight…! You have finally left your castle! Does this mean there's still hope?"

"Does this mean we may be able to finally fight the Yangs?!"

"Is all this destruction and tyranny finally over?"

The crowd was full of questions for the princess after her fifty years of absence. She was already sweating and ready to crack under the pressure, feeling her failures weigh down upon her. Spike saw her cracking, and seeing as Blank wasn't going to let them hide in their castle any more. It was time for them to get outside and finally come out of hiding and do something about all this chaos. Spike was fast to jump in and stand tall at Twilight's side to help speak to the ponies.

"Uh… Hey folks…! Uh… It's…been a long time since we got to just come out and say hi to every pony,"Spike started out with a formal greeting and a wave that made the crowd wave back slowly,"Well… I personally have been hoping for the day that we can finally end our isolation, and return to all of you…!"

"What has happened?"

"Did you both require much training in isolation?"

"Were you reading up on how to stop the Yangs this whole time?"

"Not exactly… You see it was more of us-"Spike was then cut off by a raise of Twilight's hoof and a heavy sigh.

"I got this… I need to tell them…myself, Spike. I apologize for not speaking every pony,"Twilight finally spoke to the crowd after calling off Spike,"And I'm sorry I have been away from the world for so long, letting these dark foes ravage the land for so long… The blame is all mine to carry…!"

Her need to take the fault for all the chaos that now desolated the land was met with a nudge. The crowd took notice as the mare of white nudged Twilight in the hip to cease her self loathing. She cleared her throat and brushed off the annoy, but endearing push of encouragement.

"For…the longest time I have isolated myself in the castle out of grief and shame for my failure fifty years ago,"Twilight decided to let it all out instead of trying to sugar coat it for an already broken crowd,"I can see your faces… Many of you hold the faces of ponies I knew a long time ago…"

"Sweetie… Scootaloo… Apple Bloom…"Spike took notice as the three old mares suddenly joined the crowd, but stood out from the crowd.

"Gee… Without greed in yer heart. You're a slow grower there, Spike."Apple Bloom pointed out the much taller and slightly toned dragon that still bared the precious baby dragon face they remembered.

"I can't take back the mistakes I've made. And nothing I do will be enough to earn forgiveness for what I've done,"Twilight continued on with a lowered head before looking to Blank,"But… Now there is new hope. This mare…! She has faced Yangs alongside Spike and fought valiantly…"

"Blank Slate…!"Apple Bloom waved to Blank, and the white mare waved back before stepping forward.

"She is said to come from the Harmony shrine…! The very place where the rest of the elements of harmony lay,"Twilight announced and insisted that Blank stand forward to be seen by many,"She has ventured all this way, hoping to help fight this foe and bring back peace to Equestria-"

Blank interrupted her sentence by pulling Twilight in and holding her with one forearm. Insisting that Twilight joined her in this praise she was trying to set up, so she didn't have to be a part of this mission for peace. Blank knew better though, and this was not the wish her friends would have wanted for her.

"Uh…and I guess I will be fighting as well…! Hoping to finally put an end to the enemy we know as the Yangs!"Twilight announced with a weak smile before a scoff echoed upon the wind.

"Is that a fact, princess Twilight?!"The disgruntled voice of a mare bellowed before they all fell silent.

They looked behind the crowd, seeing the ponies of the hour coming in strong. Ten marched forward and pushed through the crowd to separate them, four unicorns, three Pegasus, and three Earth ponies. This made up their large group as they shoved aside children and ponies alike. Until they were standing before Twilight tall and intimidating, angered by the princesses words. The stood in V formation, the unicorns lit their horns, allowing the female unicorn to stand forward.

"Those are big words for a princess that sicks her pet dragon on us and hides in her castle,"The unicorn taunted as Spike stomped in front of Blank and Twilight, growling at the stone mare that looked to the mare of white,"And we haven't forgotten about you mare of white…! Killer of our brethren, and newest pet to a princess with no hope…!"

"You attacked the Yangs?"Twilight asked while blank pointed to Apple Bloom's barely hidden bruises.

"What are you stone heads doing here? We told you Yangs leave us be!"Spike hissed at the mare while she casually wiped his heated spit from her face.

"We didn't exactly approve of you and your new friend killing our first team of collectors,"The unicorn slowly smirked the moment strikes of lightning struck the ground behind them from nowhere,"And neither did she… Or mistress of black did not appreciate your resistance…"

"The mistress of black…? Here at this very moment?"Twilight looked to the lightning that scorched the dirt before a flash of light brought forth a peculiar pony.

From out of the lightning stepped a mare, no horn, no wings, no clear identity. She was pitch black, her eyes were black and hollow like that of a shark, only the marble like shine of her pupils showed any sort of pony spirit from her. Blank gasped as she recognized this dark one from some sort of alien memory. She was like a twin of hers that was snatched away at birth, their manes looked the same. Only the pitch black mare sported shorter and messier hair and a slender tail.

She sighed, her voice barely able to sound, as if she were merely a spirit. The Yangs were quick to separate and make way for the mare of black as she slowly began walking towards Spike and Twilight. Her scowl pierced into Twilight's soul as anger began to rise from the dark pony.

"She would like to personally show her outrage for the trouble you've been causing…!"The unicorn informed as a dark blue aura surrounded the black mare's body, while Blank began to glow with white magic.

 _ **The mare of black and the mare of white meet at last, obviously you can all tell that there's something between them. That is for all of you the lovely readers to ponder and question, and for me to slowly but surely reveal it. Stay pony every one.**_


	6. Chapter 5:The Resurrection Of Harmony

Chapter 5:The Resurrection Of Harmony

This foe was a face that remained infamous among the town of Ponyville. The mysterious black mare was the bane of all things good, and haunted the dreams of Ponyville children. She may have been silent, but her chaos was more than enough talk to get the innocent under her hooves. Her presence was more than enough to disperse the crowd of ragged and broken ponies. While she stared down princess Twilight, outraged for the sudden rebellion and destruction of her stone followers.

"What do you want…? We're already giving you everything you want. What more could you want?!"Twilight questioned, only to suddenly feel her body being pulled in like a gravitational bind.

This was done by the mare simply lifting her hoof towards Twilight, flashing with blue magic. Twilight was then forcively pulled in with shocking speed as her ears vibrated from the metallic like echo the magic made. She felt the mare of black wrap her hoof around the neck tightly. Twilight's people were forced to watch as the princess was being submitted by the dark mare. However, Spike was not ready to see the princess yield to the dark one while they now had hope.

"Twilight!"Spike growled and charged at the same moment the runic Yang ponies formed a wall.

Operating like machines, they tried to block the way for the charging dragon. Spike responded by making a five foot leap that was just enough to slam both feet down on two Yangs. Crushing and splitting their stone bodies in two before spinning twice to let his claws shred the four that surrounded him. The two Pegasus backed off towards the sky, while the earth ponies charged jumped back to guard the mare of black. Spike roared before running to the Earth ponies with a mouth of green fire.

He waited, watching as the stallions turned around to try and double buck Spike in the chest. Only for Spike to get them with the jump again, and grip both stallions in his claws. He slammed their heads together, crushing them to dust and gravel before vaulting over them like a gymnast. Once he completed a flip, he was face to face with the mare of black and releasing a large stream of green fire. His tactic frontal assault would be considered flawless, if not for the mare's unknown abilities.

For his fire stopped cold less than an inch from the mare of black's glaring face. The vibrating force was squishing the fire, compressing and mocking the seemingly powerful flames. She then lifted a free hoof to Spike, and his mouth was greatly forced to shut nice and tight. His green flames ceased, as did his whole body that froze and constrained under the mare's gravity like spell. He struggled, his anger still seething as he watched Twilight choking in the grip of the dark mare.

Even as she then lifted him higher into the air, allowing the Pegasus Yangs to double shoulder slam Spike into the dirt. Spike felt the wind leaving his body from the dual blows while choking on dirt. The ponies then indulged in a brisk beating and flurry of hooves to the dragon's head and gut. This was putting a scare and the fear of the mare's power back into the crowd of towns ponies. Though all that Twilight could think of is the dragon she raised from a baby taking a beating for her.

"Stop…! Please…just kill me…! Don't do this to him because of me…!"Twilight begged with barely a voice with an iron grip around her neck.

Her pleas of mercy for the dragon only gave more reason for the mare to kill him. His death would suit the punishment for the sudden rebellion, and it would finally make her authority just. She turned to the Pegasus Yangs, letting her eyes flash white to signal and command them through their ruins. She brought the hoof that held Spike in place, and slowly grazed it across her throat. This commanded the Yangs, and immediately they were yanking Spike to his feet to grip his neck.

Together they would suffice enough strength to strangle, and crush Spike's neck. He grabbed at the fore arms of the Pegasus Yang's, trying to force them off and resist their power. But he could already feel his brain shutting down from the lack of air, while his head turned blue. In that very moment, both Twilight and Spike believed that this was where he was going to die and join the rest of Twilight's friends. However, one mare was not letting any pony die this day, especially her newest friends.

A flash of white then blasted all around Spike, disintegrating the Pegasus ponies around him. Only their front hooves and heads remained as the dragon fell back onto his rear and gasped for air. The speeding white flash then flew to Twilight, gaining attention from the mare of black. Just in time for Blank Slate to appear from out of the white mass and suddenly crack a strong right hook against the black mare's jaw. Blood streamed from the mare's mouth before she was violently rolling back from the force of the punch.

Twilight was released, and she fell right onto Blank's waiting back to recover. She coughed and rubbed her neck before looking to the kind Blank Slate that was there to support her. The idea of any pony wanting to protect her to this day was unheard of, but Blank's smile spoke of actual care for her. She helped Twilight to stand up properly as she managed to properly catch her breath. Only to quickly run to Spike as he slowly began to stand back up, happy that the mare of white intervened.

"Spike…! Oh my gosh, she was going to kill you…! Just to prove a point,"Twilight panicked until Spike was up and able to hug her after pulling himself together,"I can't lose any pony else…! Especially not my number one assistant….!"

"I'm ok, Twilight… I was just worried about you is all…! I can't lose you either,"Spike responded as they hugged tightly, while he was able to look to their savior,"Thanks for the quick save there… Blank Slate…! You're a real friend…"

Blank nodded, appreciating the friendliness of the dragon with a pony's heart. Only to turn to the explosion of the mare of black, growling as she slowly recovered from rolling into a building. She wiped her lip and slowly stood back up, showing off a bright blue aura around her whole body. She cracked her neck, and glared to her attacker, only to gasp at what she saw. It was then that Blank and her dark counter part met face to face, like twins meeting each other for the first time.

The mares of black and white took a moment to study and try to understand each other. They seemed so similar aside from their colors, however a seemingly invisible aura made the black mare quiver. Rainbow magic was swirling and coursing through the mare of white's body. Her muzzle cringed at the sight, for this was what she feared, harmony was embodied within Blank. It chilled the dark pony to the core of her spine as she snorted, dragging her hoof into the ground.

The disgust of harmony suddenly full of life within the white twin overwhelmed her curiosity. She now desired the death of Blank Slate, hungering to kill the mare that dared to bring harmony back. Blank responded by sighing and throwing on a serious look before mimicking the mare of black. They then walked in a circle, staring each other down, ready to really throw their abilities around. Twilight and Spike worried for their new friend, seeing how she bravely stared down a deadly foe.

"Blank…! You don't know what you're facing! She's the one that killed my friends,"Twilight called out to Blank, hoping she would listen and rethink this rebellion,"She'll kill any pony that stands in her way or does anything she doesn't like…! She'll even kill you!"

Blank responded with a huff before the dark mare charged head on into a fight. Blank responded with the same move, both mares lowered their noggins to butt heads together. With a flash of blue the mare of black pulsed new found strength into herself, Blank did the same with her orange aura. Their heads cracked together, and the force of their magic smashed in a small crater under them. Blank followed up by rearing her front hooves up and locking them around her enemy's neck.

Blank yanked the both of them to the ground, only to get rammed in the belly. Forcing both mares to ram right into a building, the roof littered hay and wood all over them. As the black mare quickly stood up and kicked Blank in the nose, forcing the mare of white onto her back. She got on top of Blank and tried to strangle her with both hooves, but the white mare proved resilient. She got her back hooves under the mare of black and strongly launched her foe into the air.

She rolled to her hooves and bolted out of the collapsing house that fell to pieces behind her. Watching as the mare of black came back down into a large caravan cart. She broke free from the cart, watching it fly into hundreds of pieces that scratched up a bit. She growled, and her growls came out like the angry wails of a dark specter, craving destruction for the one that defied her. Her eyes a lit with blue fire, her aura turned to wavy blue flames of rage, as she charged once more.

Blank was quick to protect herself by lifting her chin up, yanking a chunk of diamond from the soil. The dark mare promptly slammed her skull directly into the large and unrefined gem. She shook off the blow, even when it rattled her vision a bit, her rage still boiled to the top. She ran under the gem, only to find nothing behind it but some kicked up dust and some down draft wind. She looked up, and saw Blank coming down just in time to brace for a direct slam into her back.

A mushroom cloud of dirt blasted into the air as a deep holed was smashed into the soil. Blank felt a bit dazed as she rolled in the soft dirt and felt blinded by the thick cloud. Thankfully, it appeared that her quick thinking put a serious cripple in her dark counter part. Only to see the black mare crack her spine back into place and appear from out of the dust, tackling her into a stone wall. She was then grappled and tossed out of the crater, as she was sent smashing into a wooden wheelbarrow.

The mare of black slowly walked out of the crater, spitting out a splodge of blood. She proved to be shockingly durable and resilient, just like Blank Slate, and full of anger. Her approach was slow, she felt the need to watch as Blank staggered and struggled to stand back up to fight. Only for the dark one to lift her hoof up and gravity pull Blank into her grip to stare the white twin down. Her looked grew fiercer as she then tried to break the neck in her strong right hoof.

"Weak…! So…weak…! So soft, so gentle, and They think you can save them,"Suddenly Blank heard a voice echo in her head while the mare of black smirked,"I don't know how a mystery mare like you could mimic me, and try to bring back a pointless means of peace and friendship…!"

Blank groaned and squeezed at the black mare's hoof to try and force her off. Only to get lifted up and choked slammed into the hard ground, cracking the soil away like an earthquake. The mare of black then stood over her good hearted twin, shaking her head as the voice sounded again.

"I can see it now… You were made by the very fools that called Twilight friend…! You are their creation…! Like myself,"The mare lifted a glowing hoof, ready to finally crush Blank's neck in two,"I know your time in this world was short, but I'm going to have to send you back to those poor fools if I'm going to maintain control of Equestria… Farewell…!"

She brought her hoof down, forcing Blank to close her eyes and brace for impact. Only for a square of purple magic to come between Blank's face, and the crushing hoof. The square shield of magic cracked but did not waver before it slapped the dark mare across the face. Shattering in the process, giving Spike his own chance to run up to the foe and uppercut the mare. Sending her back into the dirt, and rolling about in a daze, giving Blank the chance she needed to stand back up.

"You stay away from her, Maul…! I'm sick of you just taking everything and every pony away from me,"Twilight demanded as her and Spike stood in front of Blank, shocking the crowd with her sudden resilience,"I made you…! And you've been nothing but a big mistake that loomed over my life…! Now I'm done! I'm done letting you take what you want, hurt who you please, and kill who you want!"

The name given mare slowly got back up to see the mare and dragon defending her twin. She stomped her hoof and huffed in silence, more anger was building in the mare of black. Especially as the crowd of ponies suddenly felt an old and warm spirit of confidence coursing through them. They amassed right behind Twilight and Spike, showing their long awaited desire to fight back this enemy. Maul took in the sudden rebellion and shocked them by screaming to the sky in a rage.

"It's over…! Go back to the forest with your Yangs…! Because your days of bullying and terrorizing Ponyville are over!"Twilight demanded to the screaming mare as lightning shot down from the sky once more.

It stabbed the dirt and circled around the raging mare of black, but the princess stood her ground. Waiting till Maul finally disappeared into the lightning that formed into a veil around her. It carried the mare up into the sky where it then took the humiliated mare back to the forest. A sharp lightning strike signified her departure, and the return of the ponies once beloved town. Ponyville was now theirs once more, they stood their ground together, and took back their town from the Yangs.

Twilight took in a deep breath, letting the pressure of what she and Spike just did. They never thought the day would come that they would finally take a stand against a pony that murdered their friends. Though it would not have been possible without the bold and insistent Blank Slate. The mare that pushed them out the door, remained so friendly in a sorrowful world, and chose to defend them against a killer. Twilight released her deep breath, and looked to the white mare.

"This wouldn't have been possible without your help. Thank you for picking me up and opening my eyes to the world again,"Twilight started with gratitude while reaching out to hoof shake Blank,"Never thought I would say this ever again… But you really are a good friend."

Blank took up Twilight's hoof, but Blank had something more special to share than a hoof shake. She surprised Twilight once more by pulling the princess in and giving her a big hug. Twilight felt something light from within herself, the moment she was brought into this warm embrace. It felt so welcoming, so friendly, so familiar, a feeling she had not felt in a very long time. This was an embrace, she could only remember back to the days that she still had her friends at her side.

She was hesitate to accept such an old act of friendliness and friendship. Fortunately, she slowly came around and brought her forearms around Blank to do her best to return the hug. Her breath shuddered at the warming hug, it felt so loving and nostalgic, just like a hug she had with her friends. Spike was more than happy to join in the hug, turning it into a group hug of friendship. At that moment, Blank's eyes swirled and sparkled with rainbow magic that connected with Twilight.

Her eyes mimicked the very rainbow magic and spark that signified new life in harmony. Tears slowly flowed from Twilight's eyes as the three new friends allowed this embrace to last. After a whole two minutes, they finally parted from the kindling of harmony and turned to the ponies.

"The time has come every pony! I've hid away from all of you long enough,"Twilight began to finally speak up to her people and decided the time had come to fight,"Harmony has finally returned, and it came in the form of this new friend…! Sent to us by my friends that rest in the Harmony shrine!"

The reveal of Blank's birth place within the Harmony shrine was almost divine news. It made the crowd of towns ponies tingle with warmth for a savior sent by the spirits of Twilight's friends. Smiles were slowly growing on their faces as they bowed to not only Twilight, but Blank as well.

"Thanks to her, we all may have a chance to finally fight off, and even best the Yangs and reverse the damage they have done to Equestria,"Twilight continued to announce the new found hope coming over the horizon,"Together…! Harmony and friendship will shine once more! So long as we are ready to come together and bring back the happiness Ponyville was made a legend for being."

"Hey… Are you alright? You took some good hits from Maul, we worried for a bit that-"Spike started, but paused the moment he noticed that Blank wasn't scratched or even bruised from the beating,"You…really bounce back from poundings… It's like you got Pinkie Pie's crazy durability."

Blank did not think too much about Spike's interest in her very durable body. Aside from a sly smile and a small blush that lasted only a second, only to sigh and look back to Twilight. As she reignited the spirit of friendship and harmony into her people once more.

 _ **And so the adventure of friendship begins once again as it did fifty years ago between Twilight and her friends. The time has come for harmony to return to the world, and the secrets of the past to be revealed. Stay pony every one.**_


	7. Chapter 6: The First Step To Harmony

Chapter 6: The First Step To Harmony

With the town freed from the grip of the mare in black, now known as Maul. New life was being breathed back into the harmony she killed so long ago, thanks to her white twin. The twin that was now walking back to the rainbow castle with her new friends, having friends felt amazing to Blank. Friendly faces were a plus to go with the always beautiful Equestria, even if friendship was thought to be dead. Now they were out of the hopeless corners and ready to finally heal this world.

However, the way it was going so far did not look like the best way to start saving Equestria. For all they did so far was enter the castle once more, and from the looks of it. All they were going to do is head right back to the library, and hitting up the books again for more knowledge. The fact that Twilight let the doors remain open to welcome the ponies back in was a good start. However, it appeared like she was simply going to go through a motion, this was not the way to start saving the world.

Thankfully, something caught Blank's eye the moment they entered the hallway. She noticed a restricted room, labeled to say, keep out, lost magic inside, Blank's curiosity was peeked. She looked back, noticing Twilight's nearly unnoticeable smile that was weak.

"We'll have to learn about the magic Maul is using to control these Yangs. Maybe we can shut them down,"Twilight instructed Blank and Spike on her wishes for approaching Maul,"Once she has no followers, we can all approach her once more and overthrow her."

Blank barely paid any attention to her words, allowing herself to be carried away with curiosity. She ran to the door, stopping stone cold right before the door to read the sign. With a tilt of her head, Blank gripped the knob and pulled the door open just as Twilight noticed Blank running off again. They gasped the moment her and Spike saw the mare of white opening the door. Just in time for a vast avalanche of scrolls to fall out of the room and pile right on top of Blank.

"Blank! Hold on I got you! Just remember to breath,"Spike worried and charged into the pile of scrolls to help dig Blank out of the pile,"You still in there? Can you hear me?!"

Blank gave him relief as she quickly poked her head out of the pile and tapped his back. Causing his spine to tremble a bit before turning to see her and sigh with relief. Twilight quietly approached, appearing to be struggling with mixed emotions that were forcing up and out of her. Spike saw the high pitched voice breaks and ripples in her throat that indicated something she did not do in a long time. Laughter, she was trying to hold in laughter in the form of giggles.

"Ahem… Are you two ok? There's a reason that door said keep out, you know,"Twilight tried to play it off serious like while Blank only went through the scrolls,"And that reason is because those scrolls are private… So I'd much appreciate it if you didn't mess with those pleas-"

She was cut off by Blank presenting the first scroll she found, holding something very nostalgic. It was the very first friendship lesson Twilight wrote, ever since she began to learn about friendship. The princess was once again at a lost for words at her new friends curiosity in the lessons. She swallowed, looking to Spike for help as he looked to the scroll Blank held. The scroll he himself wrote out for Twilight, that day they struggled with tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala.

"Whoa… The friendship lessons…! This is where you've been hiding them all this time,"Spike exclaimed and decided to read it for Blank while Twilight pressed a hoof to her heart,"Dear princess Celestia, I've learned that One of the joys of friendship is sharing your blessings. But when there's not enough blessings to go around, having more than your friends can make you feel pretty awful. So, though I appreciate the invitation. I will be returning both tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala."

"Our very first friendship lesson in the town of Ponyville, never forget it,'Twilight explained the importance of the scroll before Blank gave her the scroll with excitement,"I…appreciate that you like the lesson, but I don't know if it's THAT good."

"That good? These lessons we learned and I wrote were the reasons we became such good friends with every pony,"Spike retorted and defended Blank's interest in their old friendship lessons,"Each lesson brought us all closer and closer with our friends. Even princess Celesta…!"

Blank lit up a bit, but she was showing signs of no knowledge about other princesses. This became apparent as Blank lifted her eye brows to the name Celestia, now they were worried. They understood that she was new to the world, but they couldn't have imagine that a pony never heard of princess Celestia.

"Do you… Not know who princess Celestia is?"Spike asked and got a head shake in response.

"I guess when you come from a shrine many hours ago, you don't exactly know much about the world,"Twilight understood Blank's confusion and sighed to ready herself to tell a tale,"Princess Celestia is the ruler of Equestria, alongside her sister princess Luna. They are good natured Alicorn immortals that control the day and the night…!"

Twilight started her story, only to pause and see Blank laying on her belly, listening closely. Like a little filly curious about a story from the past, or a traditional play that inspired young ones for ages. Twilight could not help but bring back a smile from her new friend's curiosity to learn.

"Glad to see you're interested…! Uh…princess Celestia was actually my mentor before I became the princess you now see before you,"Twilight continued on the story of the sun princess she learned from as a pupil,"She took me under her wing when I was able to hatch Spike from his egg with my magic. She was like a second mother…"

Blank stood up, showing a face of adornment for the relationship she shared with the princess. However, it was then that Twilight began to drop a little bit as the more recent memories came back. She sighed, remembering the seclusion she kept herself in for so long. Knowing that they had sent so many messages to her since her friends tragic loss, and all she did was blow them off. Now all she felt was the potential fear that the princesses hated and loathed her for the mistakes she made.

"But ever since what happened fifty years ago… They have sent me so many messages, and I cast them aside,"Twilight explained what she felt was true and what she felt she deserved,"Now I'm certain that they have forsaken me, and they have every right to do so…"

"You know that's not true too, Twilight. They sent this to Twilight yesterday…!"Spike once again spoke out to the mares and gave Blank a secret letter.

Blank was fast to take up the letter and unroll it for reading, widening her eyes as she read.

 _Your birthday is just a few days away, we miss you Twilight, and we pray that you're safe after all this time. Please… respond to us Twilight. I don't want to accept the idea that you have perished along with your friends. Answer us. Please. Celestia and Luna._

This later lit up another fire in Blank's chest as she looked to Twilight with a huff. She fiercely showed Twilight the letter and put in her hooves to read, hoping it would wake her up. Twilight shook her head, disbelief was written all over her face as she slowly lowered the scroll. She looked to Blank, seeing a smirk growing on the mare of white's face for disproving her belief. She then looked to Spike, thinking back to how he was almost always in charge of writing letters.

"Did you make this letter Spike? This looks like something you'd try to write…!"Twilight chose ignorance, and no trust as she believed that Spike was responsible for this letters creation.

"Me?! Now a days I just sort through the letters they send to us! Sorry if you can't believe that they still care about you!"Spike yelled back and defended the authenticity of the letter.

"Don't even try to defend this. Like I'm suppose to believe my old teacher wants anything to do with a former student that got her friends killed!"Twilight argued back and finally sparked a big fight between herself and Spike.

"Is that really all you can do is blame yourself?! That's all you've ever done is blame yourself and fall to ruin,"Spike retorted, showing his wavering patience for Twilight's defeated attitude,"The only thing you've been at fault for is not fighting and just letting Maul to you into her female dog!"

"How dare you! I raised you better than this! When did you reduce to insults like that?!"Twilight fought back, feeling a bit triggered from Spike's words.

Blank slowly let her expression go blank and unamused by the sudden argument. Watching these two argue about what was real and what was a lie felt completely ridiculous and a waste of time. Seeing as they were going to hash this out, Blank decided to do a little something. Allowing them to argue while she took out and empty scroll from the room and pulled out an ink and quill pen. She sighed, tossing the quill pen aside so she could write something the only way she knew how.

She built some distance between herself and the fighting dragon and princess. With a good dip of her hoof tip into the ink, she began to write a peculiar letter to the princesses. She quietly hummed, letting Spike and Twilight wear themselves out while Blank quietly wrote. What she was writing to the princesses was to be a surprise for the both of them, especially Twilight. It only took a minute to write out the letter, and by that time, the two friends were just about done.

"Everything I've ever done was whatever you said, and so far it has lead us nowhere,"Spike tiredly fought before Blank tapped his book and presented him with the letter,"Uh…could this wait till we're done here. This is kind of a serious fight we're having right… Oh… Oh…!"

Spike slowly went from annoyed to interested in the letter Blank wrote. He looked to Twilight, as she cleared her throat with impatience for her dragon suddenly blowing off their argument. He nodded, letting a sly smirk grow on his face as he turned around and walked to a window. He slowly opened the window nice and wide, before displaying his iconic ability of message delivery. He took a deep breath and blew a mix of green flames and purple smoke that made the letter disappear into the smoke to be carried towards the city perched upon the distant mountain.

"What was that letter you just sent? Where is that letter going?"Twilight rushed to the window to see the letter going towards their old home town they remembered as Canterlot.

"Blank took it upon herself to give us a real first step towards harmony's return Twilight,"Spike crossed his arms in an authoritative and proud posture,"Blank gave me a message to send to princess Celestia and Luna. Shall I recite what she wrote?"

"Blank!"Twilight yelled at the white mare's sudden actions while she rapidly nodded her head to Spike.

 _Dear princess Celestia and Princess Luna_

 _I princess Twilight Sparkle wish to write to the both of you, saying just how sorry I am for disappearing from the world. I have since then returned, and I am going to fix what has been broken. There is much to be done, so I cordially invite the both of you to Ponyville, and welcome you to my castle to explain my whereabouts, my isolation, and rekindle the relationship I once shared with you both. I do hope you will come… The wait has been far too long… And I am in need of your guidance…_

 _Your faithful former student, Twilight Sparkle._

"Blank?! Why did you do that?! The princesses and I haven't spoken in ages,"Twilight exploded with fear, anger, and confusion to her new friend's actions,"They're going to loath me! They'll despise me for abandoning Equestria, I will no longer be worthy of the title of princess!"

"Ugh… Twilight's crazy phase… I did not miss this mood of hers…"Spike cringed at the frantic princess that always panicked in a highly pressured situation.

Blank sighed, casually walking to the princess that appeared to be having a mental breakdown. She then placed a hoof to Twilight's chest, slowly bringing the Alicorn down from her freak out. Leaving Twilight to look down to Blank's hoof that gently pressed against her heart.

"You need to take a breather there, Twilight. The only thing I can see coming from this is the princesses being super duper happy to see you,"Suddenly Twilight was hearing the bubbly happy voice of Pinkie Pie echoing through her head,"Before you know it, you'll be drinking tea and talking just like the old days! Besides, they're probably crazy worried about you!"

"Being gone for fifty years… I wouldn't be surprised if they thought you were dead too…!"Came the softer and more quiet voice of her nature loving friend, Fluttershy.

Twilight took slightly shaky breaths, hearing her friends talk to her again. Yet all she saw was Blank smiling calmly to her, trying to reassure her that all would be well. That belief was then tested the minute Spike suddenly felt it in his gut, a powerful belch was coming. Whenever he had to belch to forcefully, it meant one thing, a letter from princess Celestia was coming out. With a strong belch of smoke and green flames, a scroll appeared from out of the smoke, and into Blank's hooves.

She was the first to unroll the scroll, and read it with excitement that only grew. She gasped and was quick to show the letter to Twilight just as she showed a letter to Spike. Twilight slowly took up the letter Blank offered to her, no longer able to resist the happy face that carried Rarity's starry eyes and Pinkie's grade of smile. She looked to the letter, and was shocked by what she read.

 _Dearest Twilight Sparkle!_

 _It is beyond a relief to finally receive a message from you! We feared the worse after the darkness raised from the forest fifty years ago. We had hoped for a request or urgent call for assistance, but when we heard that unknown assailants had killed your friends, we feared that you had perished as well. We will happily visit you first thing in the morning, and I hope you can enlighten us on everything that has happened. I look forward to seeing your face again, my faithful student._

 _Sincerely, Princess Celestia_

"They… Didn't know I was alive…? But… I…"Twilight had no words for the emotion that was placed into the letter written to her.

"Well that can happen when you cut off all communications with all your friends and family,"Spike pointed out Twilight's flaws that came with her years of isolation she went through,"The only one who ever had contact with you was me…! No pony else has seen you in years."

Twilight sat down a bit to process all the new discoveries she had made in the world so far. No pony has so much as showed any sign of hatred or forsaken feelings for her. Even with the mistakes she had made, there was no malice from the people she turned away from. There was only praise for her return, and now her former teacher has left her with an emotional letter. The feelings of shock and shear happiness were clear, and the desire to see her again was mounting.

"I…don't know what to say about all this… They were really worried about me,"Twilight admitted while Blank nodded some more and shut the doors to the library in the distance,"You didn't want studying to be the first step in restoring the harmony that was lost. You wanted to rekindle our bonds with others…!"

"Makes sense actually…! We were always stronger with our friends and family, even more so than any amount of studying,"Spike figured it out and could not help but feel impressed with Blank's ability to take charge and push for what's more important,"You're a genius Blank!"

"Yeah… You kind of remind me a bit of myself back in the day, back when I was always picking myself out of the stickiest situations,"Twilight complimented while the mare of white blushed at their kind words,"I guess… We need to set things up for a serious visit tomorrow… Care to help a bit?"

Blank jumped, nodding and letting her excitement show as she once again bounced around with happiness. Purpose was now coming to her, she could now start doing things for the world. It was the first step towards harmony, and it was the first step towards the destiny she desired so.

"Boy… She's definitely like our friends… She's…a lot like our friends actually."Spike admitted as they watched Blank expressing joy and excitement for the events that were to come.

 _ **There it is, the first step to harmony, the first of many if you would. There is much more to come, and so many nostalgic moments to be seen through out the story. Get cozy every one. The adventure towards the Resurrection to all things good has truly begun. Stay pony every one.**_


	8. Chapter 7: Blank's First Night

Chapter 7: Blank's First Night

To many, the night that was falling upon the world was all too normal. The stars appeared and twinkled with great power and grace that some ponies looked to for guidance. Others simply slept through the night, as if it were merely a means for them to finally slumber and forget the world for many hours. That being said, the night was full of many inspiring and magical wonders. No pony was learning that more than Blank Slate, As she bolted around every corner of the rainbow castle.

The night time was a crazy new and fascinating, so may stars high in the sky. Spike found it impossible to keep up with the mare as she raced down every hallway, swinging the windows open. Allowing the cool air of the night to fill the hallways and expose it's lunar light. Allowing the newly arriving ponies to see the night, quickly after meeting with the princess of friendship. It wasn't much longer before Spike chased Blank to Twilight's main bedroom before stopping and panting with exhaustion.

"Wow… Blank really loves the night time…! She opened every window I the castle…!"Spike panted and barely manage to get his words out to Twilight.

"Well… If you think about it… Blank just woke up in a cave many hours ago,"Twilight explained while the mare opened up the windows to Twilight's room,"This is her very first time seeing the night…! She must be over excited to see such a different time of day. To us, night is all the same and normal. To her, it's a whole new wonder."

"Excuse me, princess Twilight. I hope I'm not interrupting or disturbing you,"Came the kind calls of a young deep red mare with a curly pink mane and tail,"My name is Joyous Cheer…! I've been waiting for the day I could meet you and offer something for our home here in Ponyville…"

"Oh… It's alright, you didn't need to come all this way to start something for Ponyville,"Twilight responded before turning around to face the mare that gave so much recollection to Ms Cheerlie, and old teacher she once knew,"Oh… Sorry about that it's just… You look very familiar."

"I'm…Cheerlie's granddaughter… The old school teacher from back in the old days of Ponyville,"Joyous admitted her heritage that both ached and warmed Twilight's heart,"And… I was hoping with your blessing. I could open up the school house again. Try to bring education back to the children."

"Wow… This is…quite the honor to meet you, Joyous. And it's…really noble of you to revive your grandmother's passion for teaching,"Twilight admitted her happiness to encounter such a nostalgic moment along with the idea of Cheerlie's school returning,"I would be more than happy to see the school house return to Ponyville once more…!"

"Thank you princess, and I look forward to your recovery and pursuit to revive harmony…"Joyous bowed to Twilight, only to suddenly get a friendly hoof shake from Blank.

"Thank you… And please don't mind Blank too much. She's just experiencing night for the first time."Twilight apologized for Blank's happy mood that seemed a bit overbearing.

"Oh, of course. The town speaks and spins stories of the white mare's courage against the mare of black,"Joyous felt honor to meet Blank, rather than feel irritation for this very friendly encounter,"They praise both of you, and speak of Blank's arrival as if it was a divine prophecy…!"

"I'm not sure about that… But we certainly will make everything right again."Twilight replied just in time for Blank to finally release Joyous, leaving her with a forearm that she struggled to get to stop shaking.

"I look forward to it…! As do every pony in Ponyville,"Joyous bowed one more time while holding her hoof to get it to stop shaking from the hoof shake,"Well… I wish you a fine good night, princess Twilight."

"To you as well, Joyous Cheer."Twilight bowed back to the kind hearted inspiring teacher.

Twilight watched as the mare slowly left for a guest room she was granted to for the night. Twilight sighed, feeling a sliver of joy from such a nostalgic descendant to an old friend. It was almost enough to force some tears to her eyes, only to look back to Blank. Who was smiling at her while making little stars like the ones in the night sky, letting them sparkle above their heads. Twilight giggled nervously, wanting to be encouraging for the mare of white's interest in the night.

"Hehehe…! You really like the night don't you? It lasts just about as long as the day,"Twilight explained while the tiny stars poof away into magic dust around them,"If you would like, maybe I could show you some fascinating constellations the stars can make together?"

Blank couldn't agree more with the idea of learning about things that the stars create. Her rigorous nodding became something common for Spike and Twilight to see when she's happy. Though, all that Spike could think of at the moment was sleeping arrangements for Blank Slate.

"So… Where should Blank sleep for tonight? That is…when she's done admiring the night."Spike wondered before Blank suddenly walked into Twilight's room.

They both looked to each other and followed the white mare into the room. Just to see her checking out a small bed just off to the side of a larger purple bed with sparkling purple sheets. Blank climbed on the bed, bouncing on it for fun, since she did not know it's actual purpose.

"Well… I suppose she can have my old bed from twenty years ago… I like my new big bed better any way."Spike accepted the idea of the mare using a bed he once used in his younger days.

"Blank…? Uh…you sure you want to sleep in here with me…? I'm uh…a very loud snorer,"Twilight wanted to get out of the idea of Blank sleeping with her tonight,"Besides…? Do you even know how to sleep?"

Blank responded with a shake of her head, once again shocking them inside. But they should have know that Blank would not know about sleeping, for she merely came to be in a cave hours ago. It sounded crazy, but they would have to teach Blank how to go to sleep.

"Oh…! Uh…ok…! So…we need to first teach you how to sleep…!"Twilight decided, hoping that maybe this boring lesson about sleeping would discourage the mare and make her go somewhere else for the night.

"Well… Wait! You actually did it once before, right? At the harmony shrine,"Spike exclaimed and even surprised Blank a bit from his sudden realization,"Well… Do you remember what it was like when you first came to be in the Harmony shrine?"

Blank nodded, and decided to show them what it looked like for them. She did this by laying on her back, going limp and shutting her eyes, mimicking the exact means of slumbering. Spike snapped his claws and pointed it out just as she simulated her waking up as she did in the shrine.

"That's it…! That's how you do it, Blank. You just close your eyes, relax, and just sleep,"Spike explained as he himself yawned, feeling the need to go to sleep as well,"Kind of what I'm about to do… If you need me for anything I'm in the next room with my old blanky…"

"We'll be ok… Sleep well Spike…"Twilight wished as she too needed to yawn while seeing Spike off.

They both watched the dragon slowly stroll out a door that connected Spike's room with Twilight's. Leaving the princess to a duo slumber party between her and the mare of white. She nervously smiled, while Blank smiled back and looked to her bed out of curiosity.

"Well… So it's just you and me…! Just two mares…going to bed now,"Twilight randomly spoke to lighten the awkward mood they were now in, while Blank struggled to figure out the bed,"Need help…? Just… Get in the bed. Get under the cover, and put your head on the pillow."

Blank responded to that by doing those exact actions, the bed sheet parts were easy. However the pillow part was a bit of a blunder, for Blank was now currently doing a head stand on the pillow. As much as Twilight felt such a mediocre mistake, she couldn't help but bust up laughing. Blank looked to the giggling princess that suddenly found humor and joy in this lesson on the bed. It honestly felt surprisingly good that Blank was making Twilight laugh, it felt like Twilight really needed to laugh more.

Finally she tipped over and fell to her back in bed, just the way she was suppose to. Twilight needed another minute before she was able to get a grip on her laughter and see the white mare in bed. With a deep breath in and out, Twilight began to calm down and walk over to the friend.

"You really are something else…! It's…been awhile since there was this much excitement in my life,"Twilight admitted while fluffing up Blank's pillow and going to her own bed,"I remember every now and then, my friends would mess around and make each other laugh. Pinkie Pie was an expert at that…!"

Blank watched Twilight as she yawned and opened the curtains on her windows a bit more. Allowing both of them to get a good look to the night before they slumbered away. Blank sighed with gratitude to see the night in perfect view as Twilight slowly crawled into her own bed. She wrapped herself in the purple blankets that felt like warm silk against her body. The princess then stared to the ceiling, as did Blank, hoping that it may help induce her desire to sleep.

"Hey Blank…? Mind if I ask you something a bit important,"Twilight asked, and the mare of white turned to look at Twilight, while the princess looked to the ceiling,"Do you still hear voices in your head…? I've been hearing them lately… Ever since you arrived to the castle…"

Blank thought for a moment, then slowly began to nod before she let out her first yawn. It was silent, but still proved to be quite the surprising new action for the white mare. Just in time for Twilight to flash another half smile, feeling some sort of satisfaction to know that Blank heard voices too.

"Those voices… They sound exactly like my friends… My best friends,"Twilight confided what she recognized about the voices they both heard,"I'd honestly do anything to have them back… Or at least fix what I destroyed."

"Just never forget…! We're always with you."Came all six voices that echoed through both mare's heads.

"Blank…? I really want yo to be the one to help bring back the magic of friendship,"Twilight admitted the faith she wanted to put into this new friend of hers,"I don't want to lose another friend…"

Blank solemnly stared at Twilight, feeling a sense of empathy for the princess's feelings. She decided to respond by making yet another star that looked like the ones in the sky. This one however was solid and warm, as it floated all the way over and into Twilight's hooves. The princess looked to the star and held it warmly as a gift, a gift from her new friend. She went back to smiling, and was quick to slowly fall into a deep slumber, hoping to dream good dreams tonight.

Blank smiled and turned to the ceiling with a sigh of relaxation. Doing all the things she needed to do if she wanted to give sleeping a try, she did feel quite nervous about it. She kept looking and the ceiling, taking deep and smooth breaths to relax her body for a start. Her eyes slowly began to close, as her relaxed breathing suddenly began to effect her body, simulating a partial shut down. Her eyes began to follow and slowly started to close up as she watched the night sky.

With one more breath of complete calm, her eyes finally shut. Allowing Blank to slowly drift away to her very first night on Equestria, sleeping peacefully alongside a friend. However, an hour into the night of peaceful slumber, Twilight was already struggling with her dreams. She could hear her own voice, as well as the voices of her friends crying out in pain before silence took over. She wanted to turn away, but nightmares were not something that one could just simply look away from.

She was outside her castle, storm clouds rolled over the sky she looked to. She swallowed the fear that came with the thunder of a storm that grew in strength, it was so dark, and so familiar. She looked forward, seeing the ponies of Ponyville looking onward, but not daring to leave their homes. Twilight looked further, finding difficulty seeing that her towns ponies saw. So she began to walk forward, exploring the dream she was having, hoping to find what laid at the dream's end.

As she began to walk forward, the rain began to fall, starting with minor drips. They chilled and tingled her spine and skin with each small drop of water that struck, as the thunder rolled in even more. It sounded like bombs in the distance going off far above her head. Triggering the rain to finally start pouring down, drenching the princess from head to hoof. However, the rain meant nothing to her the moment she saw five figures laying very still through the shadows of the rain.

She gasped, feeling this dream click with her as not just a dream, but also a memory. Not just a memory, but a memory that has haunted her to this very day, and became the place where harmony died. She was slow to approach any further as her heart grew sick and cold. Tears were instantly forced to the surface as she saw all five of her friends laying before her. Lighting stabbed the sky, causing the shadows to dissipate just long enough to get a look at her friends faces.

Rainbow Dashes magenta eyes were still open, but voided of an lights of life. All the others were more peaceful looking, but no less dead, all them dead by what Twilight knew was strangulation. A killing method favored by the dark mare that she created, lightning then suddenly struck. Allowing the mare of black to stand before the bodies, smiling as Twilight collapsed. Slowly sobbing and starting to whimper and wail to see see her friends dead at her hooves.

"No…! No no no! What did you do, Maul…?! WHAT DID YOU DO,"Twilight yelled as she slowly put her hooves to all the bodies of her friends,"No… What did I do…?"

Maul pointed at Twilight, chuckling at her pain as Twilight slowly lowered her head. Her whimpers became loud and full of torment, her own best friends no longer with her. Suddenly, at the same moment as Maul broke into full laughter, Twilight screamed to the skies. Lightning bolt responded with sharp crashes of pure power, before Maul then disappeared from sight. Her laughter carried on the wind as Twilight let her tears flow free and scream with the pain of loss.

"This was all my fault…! I created her…! I tried to use her to control all disharmony in Equestria,"Twilight's voice echoed over her screams of torturous grief for her friends,"I'm the reason my friends are dead…! I killed…my friends…!"

Her words sparked a sudden flash of bright white light that shined away the dream. She was taken by complete surprise and quickly overwhelmed by the light that cleared away the memory. Then there was simply a white void she found herself floating through along with all her tears. Before the tears burst into sparkling dusts of magic and spiraled all around her to wrap Twilight in a warm embrace. That was the moment that Twilight suddenly awoke with a sharp gaps in her bed.

She was sweating, her eyes red from the tears that flowed while she slept. That memory was causing her heart to pound with pain, just remembering the sight of her friends laying in the mud. It was almost too much to bare, if not for the white mare she suddenly found in her bed. Holding onto her and sleeping right at Twilight's side, and just when she thought Blank couldn't surprise her any more. She now had a sleeping buddy snuggling her and offering comfort from her nightmares.

She sniffled, watching Blank for the longest time in deep thinking silence. She took in a deep and slightly trembling breath, and released before slowly wrapping her hooves around the mare of white. Doing her best to relax from the sudden nightmare and indulge in her new friend's comfort.

"Thank you, Blank Slate…"Twilight whispered and slowly laid her head back down to go to sleep once more.

 _ **Honestly, how would you react if you were seeing night time for the very first time? I would think it as much like seeing snow for the first time, or even perhaps a thunderstorm. Something you could not see without changing or growing up far more complete inside. It all depends on you, and what your heart says. Stay pony every one. Also sorry for the late update, i came down with something rather nasty that I'm slowly recovering from.**_


	9. Chapter 8: A Long Awaited Visit

Chapter 8: A Long Awaited Visit

As the night began to carry through it's full cycle before the day would surely come. All was peaceful for the town of Ponyville, for the very first time in a long time. However there was a place that was not so peaceful, a place that resided in the most infamous of forests. The Ever Free forest, a vast woodland full of some of the darkest and most vile creatures in Equestria. All of Equestria's great evils lived and thrived within the forest, consuming and destroying whatever dared to enter their land.

It was the perfect place to house the great and dark clouds once witnessed by Blank Slate. As they over shadowed a castle that laid in the heart of the forest, a castle that has stood for a thousand years. It is said that the castle once served as the home of the royal sisters, the bringers of day and night. At least until a tragic accident that resulted in the castle's desolation and temporary imprisonment of the younger sister. Now this castle served as a home for a new darkness.

And this darkness was furious, throwing a tantrum that made a child's rage seem tame. Maul sat in a run down and ragged throne room, tossing pieces of old furniture everywhere. Screaming as she dealt with Twilight's rejection to her actions the only way the pony of black knew how. Pointless destruction met with the walls as she punched wild holes into the stone structures. Her rage for Twilight's sudden rebellion against her demands was unheard of, it was ridiculous.

While ten silent Yang ponies watched Maul throw and break everything she touched. Some of them couldn't help but feel a sense of intimidation from the crazy mare. While others knew from experience that Maul eventually burns herself out after a few minutes of melting down. Thankfully that proved to be the truth after she took one of the old throne chairs and sent it through the large window behind her. Before she spun and fell to her belly in silence.

She laid there panting, letting this sudden resilience sink into her heated mind. Twilight could no longer be controlled, she was now ready to fight against what Maul wanted. It made her pound at the stone floor a bit, before she slowly began to stand up and think to herself on the matter.

"Thank Equestria for that… I was getting a bit worried for a moment there…"A Pegasus Yang whispered to a friend before Maul immediately put a hoof through his head.

His head burst like a watermelon, sending white liquid and stone pieces flying. Coating the other stone ponies in the watery white fluid as Maul punished the pony for his words. She continuously brought her hooves down on his stone body, stomping and chipping the body to pieces. She kicked and crushed any pieces she could find, until only a pile of gravel remained of the stallion. With that, she released a snort of aggression and slowly walked back to the remaining throne chair.

"Well… What do you propose we do? How difficult could it be to break the princess once again?"The unicorn mare at the front of the group was bold enough to ask the big question.

Maul wanted to snap at the unicorn next, but she did give her a good question. She huffed and looked around to the windows, studying the forest that surrounded their castle. There were many things in the forest, big and small, and quite veracious in nature. Either one of them could certainly put a scare into the ponies, or even take more treasured loved ones from Twilight. However, anger was taking control of her decisions, making her irrational and unpredictable.

She remained quiet, scoping out the forest, looking for the perfect creature to send upon the town. Finally, she spotted her chosen animal scurrying it's way into the muddy lake it called home. This reptilian beast was feared to all but the legendary Ursa Major for it's tough exterior. As well as it's unmatched jaw strength and it's fear inducing roars that would freeze the spines of Ursa Minors. The ferocious reptile known as a cragodile, the apex reptilian predator of the Ever Free forest.

Certainly that would make quite the impression of Maul's anger on Twilight. Slowly a smirk grew on the mare's face, her smile was pearly white, but reeked of sadistic intentions. She turned to her minions and frantically pointed to the window, making them have to go to the window to see. They were dismayed, but they served Maul to whatever end, since she was their maker. So they lined up at the window to see the cragodile swimming in the pond, about to ambush a deer.

"I… Take it you want us to try and get that cragodile sent to Twilight's town,"A unicorn stallion Yang asked the obvious question to the pony of black, and was given a crazed nod and another point,"How do we go about capturing and transporting a cragodile all the way to Ponyville?"

Maul responded to that question by making a ring of dark blue magic form her hooves. As she touched them together before forming the magic in a circle as they touched again above her head. Electricity then blasted in all directions, collecting stone from the walls around them all. The stones fused together, sealing in the magic before forming into a thick and wide stone collar. The moment the same runes as the ones found on the Yangs carved themselves into the collar, she gave them the answer.

"Well… Looks like we're going to have to wrangle and collar a cragodile every pony!"The stallion announced and decided to take the lead for the group of Yangs.

This left Maul to slowly stroll her way to the far right of the window. Looking through it gave her a view of Ponyville I the distance, the castle was the easiest thing to see. She took this moment to glare to it, festering with anger for her own creator that denied her what she wanted. After everything she experienced from the day she was made, an obligation to have whatever she wanted came to be. Even if it meant hurting ponies that others cared deeply for.

* * *

Hours later, the sun was slowly rising in the horizons of Equestria. For the first time in a long time, the ponies of Ponyville were looking forward to the new day in their town. At long last, they could marvel at the warm and bountiful sun, taking in all it's life giving glory when the moon was sleeping. Slowly, the ponies of Ponyville emerged from their homes at the first rays of sunlight. Ready to get an early morning start to this lighter and brighter day in their lives.

I could not have began with a bigger bang, for two visitors approached the town. They arrived upon a chariot that soared through the sky by the strength of two golden armored Pegasus stallions. They began to make their descent from the skies, allowing two great mares that rode the chariot. They were large in stature, large but slender mares of the rare Alicorn race. One tall and white, the other, smaller and midnight blue, these two mares were known as the royal sisters, Celestia and Luna.

With a sun cutie mark complimenting her white fur, she had her horn raise high to the sky. Glowing with gold magic through her light rainbow mane and golden crown. Raising the sun to bring the day that made her purple eyes that matched the purple gems within her crown and necklace sparkle. Once the sun was able to sustain itself in the sky, she let her magic grip loosen. Sitting back in the chariot to twiddle her hooves nervously in her golden horse shoes.

"You seem nervous sister… I suppose this long awaited meeting with Twilight has you in a bind of conflict?"Luna asked as their descend from the skies made her dark blue night time sky mane and tail blow in the wind.

"We have not seen her in fifty years…! I was almost certain when she sent her final letter,"Celestia looked into her little sisters deep blue eyes that saw the anxiousness within her,"I feared that she too had perished along with her friends to the darkness we saw…!"

"We will have our answers once we've made our arrival to the rainbow castle Tia,"Luna reassured her nervous sister of the sun as the crescent moon that matched the cutie mark she bared finally disappeared over the horizon,"If she is truly alive. Then I can't imagine what she may have endured since the day her friends had passed."

"Lets not berate her with questions. Let us first smile and give her our best support,"Celestia suggested a gentle approach to knowing what happened in Ponyville,"She must know that there are still friends and family that will support and help her through the struggles she has suffered through."

With that, the princesses came to a smooth landing in the center of Ponyville. The eyes of many lowly and humble towns ponies gazed upon the sudden arrival of royalty. With a winnie from the stallions, the princesses were quick to step out of their chariot and onto Ponyville soil. Luna's silver horse shoes shined from the light of the sun, giving the two of them away as the royal sisters. The ponies of Ponyville gasped with shock to see the princesses, while the sisters themselves were stricken with great shock of their own.

The town was nothing like they remembered about Ponyville in the past. So many lovely buildings and homes were now frail, withered and horribly broken. The ponies that saw them wore ragged clothing, and their spirits appeared a bit broken from the evil that was still a mystery to them. The sisters took their gold and pitch black crowns off, putting them to their chests that ached. Seeing the condition Ponyville had now fallen into, it was almost too much for them to bare.

"This place is in disarray…! Half of it is in shambles, and the ponies here…!"Luna assessed the living conditions and the ponies that lived in it.

"Their spirits are broken and rattled. What tragedies have befallen these poor ponies,"Celestia could only wonder about the misery and chaos that battered the town,"We need to help these people… We must send for supplies and perhaps some builders from Canterlot to help this place."

"Blankets would help too. Winter is only three weeks away, and these ponies have nothing to shield themselves from the cold,"Luna added to the supplies that Celestia was currently listing down with quill pen and paper as they walked,"What abomination could have done all this?"

"Princess Celestia and princess Luna…! Thank Equestria for your arrival…!"An innocent young mare garbed in black tattered garments nearly fell trying to bow to them.

"Easy… Do not hurt yourself…"Luna was quick to hold the mare's arms to keep her steady till she regained her balance.

"What happened to Ponyville? We have never seen it so rugged and broken…!"Celestia questioned while the mare coughed and tried to steel herself to explain.

"Maul… Maul…happened…! The mare of black ransacks and tortures this town without any reason,"The mare answered and looked to the forest where the dark clouds began to form once more,"She resides in the old castle within the forest. Sending out her hordes of stone warriors we call… The Yangs… For their complete embodiment of disharmony."

They all looked in awe as the smokey black head of Maul raised from the castle. Roaring in a high pitch screech that rumbled the very foundation of the forest, the princesses felt a cold chill in their spines. Seeing such a dark creature looking to the princesses with her hollow eyes of anger.

"She's angry… Yesterday the princess of friendship finally stood up to Maul and her oppression, thanks to a mare of white,"The mare explained the turn in the fight that occurred yesterday,"As you can see… Maul did not take well to being forced out and denied everything she wanted…"

"We see that… This dark disharmony I sense makes Discord look like harmony itself,"Luna admitted her unnerved feelings towards the dark magic Maul gave off,"We need to find Twilight and this mare of white…! We must know what we are facing!"

"The princess is sleeping within her castle. We pray that she will come outside once more rather than remain in the castle,"The mare explained the recent actions and what became of Twilight since the rise of Maul,"Please… Let what happened yesterday and your arrival be the next step towards Ponyville's revival."

"It will…! We have already sent a request for supplies, builders, and blankets for the town,"Celestia reassured hope for the mare and all the ponies after making the list disappear,"It's the least we could do. We share so many good memories with this town, we can't possibly see this town suffer any longer."

"My goodness…! So generous…! Thank you so much your majesties!"The mare expressed deep gratitude and was able to properly bow to the princesses.

"As my sister said. It's the very least we could do, friend."Luna admitted with pride and nostalgia for this very humble town.

Half an hour later the princesses were able to make their way towards the rainbow castle. After giving the ponies of Ponyville their blessings and wishes for a brighter future. It was more than satisfying to help all those people, but now they needed to see Twilight. She was the key to discovering what happened to the innocent town they treasured, and she had the answers. They made their approach to the castle, seeing the windows around the castle swinging open.

Letting in the light of Celestia's sun to give new found warmth and life to the castle. This had to have meant Twilight was still alive, and it was making Celestia beyond edgy to see her. It was hard for her to even stand still long enough for Luna to be the one to knock on the door. Hoping that some pony inside would hear them and come running, this turned out to be the case. For it only took a minute for the door to open slow and massively, allowing Spike to poke his head out and greet them.

"Princess Celestia…! And princess Luna! I… Welcome! It's been too long your majesties,"Spike welcomed the royal sisters while they found themselves surprised the minute he spoke and stepped out to reveal how much he had grown,"We knew the two of you would be here first thing in the morning, but THIS is early, even for the two of you…!"

"Spike…?"The sisters responded with confusion to see the dragon tone and almost as tall as Luna.

"You have… Really grown up…! My goodness, the years have been kind to you!"Celestia admitted while Spike scratched his head, feeling quite flattered by the princess's compliment.

"Thanks…! I'm guessing the two of you are here to meet with Twilight at long last?"Spike asked the obvious of the royal sisters while gesturing them to come right in.

"Um… Yes of course! We…had the impression that she had perished after a final message she sent to us fifty years ago,"Luna explained as Spike became their guide into the castle all the way to Twilight,"The message told us that she was at fault and no matter what, we had to stay away."

"She probably didn't want either of you to get hurt. Maul has proven powerful and ruthless for the longest time…!"Spike explained the reason behind the final message while once again, mentioning Maul.

"A mare from the town spoke of this… Maul. Where did this abomination of disharmony come from?"Celestia asked about the origins of Maul and the darkness she brought with her.

"That's a question for Twilight to answer. I didn't want anything to do with Maul, even when she seemed harmless…"Spike responded a bit morbidly as the princesses remained close behind the dragon.

The moment they entered the hall ways, that was when they all found her. Blank Slate, the mare of white that was spoken of from the young mare, opening up the windows and blinds. Allowing the sunlight to enter the castle, helping to fill her heart and soul with happiness that made her smile. Curiosity was immediately piqued from the princesses for the white and mysterious mare. For she seemed quite bright, gentle, and friendly, attributes that appeared oh so familiar to them.

"Ah…! Is this the mare of white the ponies also spoke of?"Luna decided to be the one to take first hoof interest in the bright white mare.

"Who? Blank Slate? Yeah, she came and helped us kick Maul out of our town and take it back for the people,"Spike answered as they stopped to admire the free spirited mare,"She's kind of a mute, but she came to us from the harmony shrine next to Sweet Apple Acres. It's… Where we laid our friends down to rest…"

"We're really sorry that we couldn't do anything to prevent all this from happening,"Celestia felt the need to apologize for the tragedies that befell Spike and Twilight,"If there is anything we could do, we would be happy to help both of you recover from all this."

"We have already sent for blankets, builders and supplies to be sent to Ponyville, Hopefully some contribution will help these people rebuild the town,"Luna informed the dragon before they had then met face to face with Blank Slate,"And…so we meet at last. Blank Slate, the mare of white."

"Uh…yeah…! Blank, this is princess Celestia and princess Luna. The bringers of night and day,"Spike decided to introduce Blank to the princesses, while she had already bowed to the sisters,"Huh… Usually she's been having this thing for giving hugs and super hard hoof shakes."

"The…bow is not necessary, Ms Blank slate. From what we hear, you are seen as a hero of the town."Celestia insisted and expressed their impressions of Blank's high spirited heroism.

"And we are eternally grateful to you for helping to save Ponyville, and fight this mare of black."Luna added before Blank felt the need to take up her hoof after learning that Luna was responsible for the beautiful night she saw.

"Uh…Blank,"Spike was confused at first when Blank began to do her blissful hoof shaking till he remembered how she was last night,"Oh yeah…! Last night was her very first time seeing night time. She was…over excited and happy to see it."

"Oh, well that's very flattering. I'm glad you liked your first experience with the night,"Luna blushed a little bit for Blank's admiration of the night before they remembered why they were here,"But… Could we possibly get back to the task at hoof and meet with Twilight. It has been a long time since we saw her."

Blank was more than willing to oblige with the princesses wishes. She partook in holding the night princess's hoof and guiding her down the hall way towards Twilight's bedroom. While Celestia could not help but giggle to see such an ambitious mare eager to take over as their guide.

"I think we are going to become the best of friends with this spirited mare…!"Celestia admitted as her and Spike followed the loving white mare and the princess of the night.

 _ **Next time, the teacher meets her student after fifty years, and the origins of Maul shall be told. By the end, I wonder if you will all think that Twilight truly is at fault. That is for you to decide by the end of next chapter, and the end of the whole story. Stay pony every one.**_


	10. Chapter 9: The Princess Faces Her Past

Chapter 9: The Princess Faces Her Past

With the two royal sisters under their guidance, Blank and Spike were ready for the meeting. After fifty years, Twilight and the princesses were finally going to meet each other. First they needed to get the royal sisters to Twilight, easy, but Blank's ambition proved a bit slow. For she felt insistent to drag the princesses through a castle that she herself wasn't fully familiar with. Basically, it appeared that they were a bit lost, and Spike couldn't help but just let the mare go.

"Uh…will we be getting to Twilight any time soon? We've been venturing around the castle for fifteen minutes now."Luna pointed out while being pulled by her hoof through the whole castle.

"I wonder how long it'll be till she realizes that she just got lost in the castle?"Spike wondered as they walked aimlessly through the hallway till they found themselves coming across the library.

"What…? Spike? You let her aimlessly wonder about through a place she doesn't even know?!"Celestia looked to the dragon like a disappointed mother that did not like her child's behavior.

"Sorry…! I just couldn't help but wanna humor her and let Blank try to play the castle guide,"Spike chuckled but then rethought his humorous attitude out of respect for the princess,"Uh… Blank…! We're kind of lost here. You've been taking us in a circle the whole time…!"

Blank stopped for a moment and turned to Spike before giving him a shake of her head, She then pointed to Twilight's bedroom at the end of the hall way, just where she remembered it. Luna felt the vibes and strange patterns of explanation, Blank may have been a mute. But Luna could read that Blank's scenic route around the castle was intentional, and she knew why. Her reason for the delay was noble, something a friend would do for another, and a good friend was just what Twilight needed.

"I see… You took us on a trip around the castle to give Twilight a chance to sleep a bit longer,"Luna realized Blank's little scheme she pulled off under Spike's jester nose,"Well, that's an awfully kind thing for you to do, Ms Blank…!"

"So… Is she…well? It's been fifty years since we saw Twilight."Celestia couldn't help but ask of Twilight's health in the last five decades.

"Oh, she…doesn't sleep well, and she's gotten really bad at even just talking to others,"Spike decided to explain the troubles Twilight has had since the death of harmony,"Other than that she's ok… Sort of…"

"My goodness…!"Celestia felt the need to be worried for her former student.

Blank then stopped them all at the door, and gave it strong three prong knock. They all then waited for the moment they were hoping for, the sound of a yawn and clopping hooves. All went quiet as the door knob turned, before the door slowly began to open up with a creak. Twilight had then appeared from out of her dark room, looking a bit tired still, but still looking decent. She was then wide awake the moment she looked out and found her own teacher and her sister standing before her.

"Princess…Celestia? Princess Luna? Oh… I'm sorry, I almost forgot you were coming over,"Twilight rubbed her eyes to try and wake up some more,"I'm sorry for looking like a mess, it was quite the struggle to get some rest last night… I was going to go get a shower before you two arrived."

"Twilight…! You really are alive! We feared the worse after what had happened!"Celestia exclaimed and was quick to hug her student, almost motherly like.

"We saw the darkness consume the town and we feared you had fallen to it!"Luna was quick to suffice another hug that turned it into a group hug for the princesses.

"I'm… Ok. Really, I'm fine princesses…! I barely survived the dark rain, but I made it,"Twilight insisted that all was well, but Celestia and Luna could feel her fatigue,"I… I did miss you both. Everything here has been lonesome and dead around here ever since."

"Your people foretold of the one who plagues the town and holds it in a dark grasp. One by the name of Maul."Luna incited their outside knowledge on the mare of black.

"They say that you might know the most about this mysterious mare, maybe we can stop her."Celestia suggested as Twilight slowly pulled her way out of the hug and shook her head.

"No… She shouldn't be your burden to carry. I made her, and everything that's happen was because of me."Twilight insisted that she did not want the princesses interfering with her mistake.

"Now lets not say such things…! Whatever happened must have been an accident. You couldn't have known…!"Celestia wished to argue the idea of Twilight blaming herself for the rise of Maul.

"No… She's my creation, my mistake that grew into a menace that took my friends away…!"Twilight defended her right to carry the burden of her simple mistake.

"Please…! We wish for you to tell us on what happened all those years ago…! Lets not start our rekindling with arguing,"Luna insisted and prevented a potential argument from breaking out between the two mares,"Please Twilight… Let us sit down and talk about this. We have much catching up to do after so long…!"

"Of course… Spike, could you go fetch some hot tea for us?"Twilight kindly asked for assistance from the dragon she always knew as her number one assistant.

"Sure. I'll bring something hot and refreshing we can all enjoy…!"Spike responded with enthusiasm, feeling as if he was once again a number one assistant.

With that, he was quick to take off towards the kitchen to prepare something for the ladies. He didn't have a slight waddle or belly jiggle like he did when he was merely a baby. But he still had a way of reminding them of the good old days, back when things were so much more innocent.

"Blank…? Uh… You…want to join us in the library?"Twilight asked of the white mare and was given a little nod in response.

A half an hour later, they were all in the library on cozy seats that were plush for sitting. Twilight needed to clear out all the books on the shiny bronze table they sat at. There were staggering amounts of books littered every where around him, symbolizing the only thing she could now do. If not for Blank rocking back and forth in her chair, everything would feel completely depressing. Everything was quiet for the longest time, this gave them a chance to clear their minds at the very least.

At least until Blank's chair rocking became louder and more noticeable. Though they could not help but find humor and happiness in the gentle hearted behavior of the white mare. Even Twilight could not help but give a smirk, for this would be the behavior to expect from her friend, Pinkie Pie. However that very thought threaten to remind her of her friends, and that would lead to sorrow. Thankfully, Spike had finally arrived with some hot black tea for every pony to enjoy.

"Sorry for the wait. It was hard for me to remember what kind of tea every pony liked!"The dragon announced upon entering with a tray stacked with tea and five cups for every pony.

"Oh, it's quite alright. Any kind would have worked, Spike. We're not picky."Luna insisted as the dragon laid out the tea and gave them all their cups.

"Indeed, it is only needed to calm the nerves and allow us to talk more openly,"Celestia explained as the cups of tea were poured into their cups, allowing them to sip smoothly,"Now… Please… Tell us about what happened Twilight… Where did this all start?"

"It's not easy to tell… And there's some things that I just can't talk about,"Twilight made her words clear while sipping her tea and refreshing her mind about the past,"So much has been done to this world… And it all started with… One little request from all my friends. Fifty years ago."

She took a deep breath, even with her intelligent mind it wasn't easy to recall these memories. It took another sip of tea to help cleans her confusion and remember it more clearly. She slowly began to recall them, from the very day she was over viewing the map of Equestria. As was part of her duty to over see friendship through out the whole world, hoping to keep harmony strong. Along her side, she had five of the most treasured friends by her side, ready to heal any wounds opened up by disharmony.

* * *

 _Fifty Years Ago_

"Twilight! We need to talk about something. Something we've all been talking about,"Applejack was the first to enter the meeting room and take off her stetson hat to profess pure honesty,"I'm not sure how you're going to feel about it, but… We really wanna come out to you about something."

Twilight turned with curiosity, just in time for all her friends to enter the room. They appeared to be a bit morbid and solemn, this boded of some worrisome news to be heard. However she was not one to turn down a wish for help, especially from her truest of friends. She slowly shut off the map for a bit and turned to meet with Applejack and the others.

"Of course! Come on in and we'll see what's going on every pony!"Twilight insisted as her friends slowly took their seats that surrounded the the map of Equestria.

"We really appreciate you letting us talk to you about something personal,"Fluttershy spoke out as Twilight took her seat among her friends and prepared for quite the chat,"We didn't want to talk to any pony else about this. We were worried that they were going to get worried about us."

"Uh…ok…? So what is it you girls wanted to talk about?"Twilight kindly asked to hide her hesitation from the strange behavior.

"We… Uh… We want to… Change. As in… We wanna change some things about ourselves."Applejack decided to be the bold one and say exactly what they wanted help with.

Twilight paused for a moment, not wanting to believe her friends wanted something like this. From the way it was worded, they were actually speaking of changing who they were. This was something she did not expect to hear from her friends, she had thought that they liked who they were.

"Ok. Change how? What kind of change are all of you talking about?"Twilight remained taken, but she needed to know where this request was coming from.

"Well… We've been kind of looking back on our lives and seeing how ponies see us,"Rainbow Dash flew up into the air and decided to go first with the explanation,"I have to come out with it… I'm cocky, so self righteous and dominating…! Even among my fellow Wonderbolts! And it brings out so much hate from other ponies when I act like I'm better than every pony else."

"Well now…! Uh…I didn't expect you to come out and admit your flaws like that Rainbow,"Twilight admitted her shock at the response that her most bold and cocky friend gave her,"I mean… Maybe you are a bit over bearing, but it's what makes you who you are."

"But I'm actually starting to Not like myself…! How can I be a good element of loyalty and inspiring flyer if I keep feeling like I'm better than every pony else?"Rainbow went out and said it before floating down into her chair, allowing Applejack to go next.

"And I gotta come clean to, Twilight. My stubbornness has gotten just too much fer me,"Applejack admitted her stubbornness and lack of willingness to accept new things,"I treated my growing sis like a baby instead of letting her grow. I've been stubborn almost every time to every pony, including my friends."

"Oh… But your stubbornness has always been what's kept you honest and…"Twilight stopped the moment Applejack lowered her head to remember all the times her stubborn mind had gotten them into trouble.

"And I Twilight… After the way I overreacted to this poor stallion that walked into my boutique,"Rarity was next to admit her feelings towards her high standards and difficult coping with others less fortunate and clean than herself,"I've been… Too much of a lady. It's made my own sister hate me at times, and it's made a terrible impression of my lack of tolerance for ponies less fortunate than myself."

Twilight looked around, this was quite the shocking meeting she was having. Her friends were actually professing and admitting their flaws that she knew from the day she first came to now they really admitted them to her, along with the request she would always remember.

"And I realize that I make ponies smile, but I'm just too wild and crazy and bouncy,"Pinkie Pie bounced off her chair to show Twilight how wild she could be,"I want ponies to smile. But I don't want to scare the kids when throwing a birthday party or become a nuisance that annoys others…!"

"And the animals look to me for care, compassion and bravery. And it's so hard for me to be brave,"Fluttershy spoke of how she always was when it came to ponies and scary thing,"Not to mention how I can't talk to ponies like normal… I wanna actually be brave and confident for my animals, and other ponies. So they know they can trust me, and I can make more friends…!"

"Girls…? Are you all really feeling this way about yourselves?"Twilight asked out of the need to really come to grips with what her friends were telling her.

"Yes… We were happy with ourselves. But if our flaws are making happiness hard for friends and family. We wanna change that,"Applejack spoke for the rest of the mares in the room,"I wanna be more open minded and more welcoming to my friends and family."

"I wanna be encouraging, nice, and wanting other Pegasus ponies to reach my skill if not surpass me!"Rainbow added to that as she flew around in a circle.

"I wanna be brave and approachable to both animals and ponies alike…!"Fluttershy spoke blissfully and quietly.

"I wanna be more out going and tolerant of other ponies and especially my sister…!"Rarity almost exclaimed in a begging sort of tone.

"And I want to be calm, gentle, and make every pony smile even more!"Pinkie exclaimed and bounced almost to the roof with excitement.

"So… What exactly do you all need from me to get this change started?"Twilight curiously asked of her friends as they exchanged stares with one another.

"We would like your help. No matter what, your support and expertise would help us a hay of a lot,"Applejack explained how much Twilight's help would benefit them in this process they wanted to undergo,"We hope this ain't too much to ask of you, but if there's a way to better ourselves, then we wanna try it…! So please."

"You mind helping us change?"All five friends asked the crucial question that Twilight thought of for the longest time.

However, back then she didn't think it as something harmful or dangerous. Her friends wanted to better themselves and become better ponies, it was bold of them just to come to her for this kind of help. She thought about it for almost several minutes before she finally responded to their request.

"Yes… I'll do whatever I can to help you all change!"She answered the question and sent the events of fifty years into gear.

 _ **This story of change and creation of the dark one will be continued, till then take in what you learned so far. Know that there is more to this than meets the eyes, and know that there is more to come when change is happening. Till then stay pony every one.**_


	11. Chapter 10: The Birth Of True Disharmony

Chapter 10: The Birth Of True Disharmony

 _And so… I attempted to help my friends the normal way for a start. I took Rainbow to a few Cloudsdale races, trying to get her to root and encourage talented flyers to keep flying and aspire to be the best flyers in the world… She didn't like having to call others some of the best flyers around. And she ended up racing all the other ponies to try and retain her reputation. We had to leave Cloudsdale before they decided to kick us out._

Twilight continued her great story that told of her and her friends before darkness came to Equestria. A twist of events that started with the harmless adventure with her friends. After she had promised to help her friends work hard on the flaws that made them somewhat irritable to handle.

 _Next I worked with Applejack on accepting new things, but she was so stubborn. She wanted everything traditional and old fashion, it was almost impossible to help her embrace new ideas. The closest thing she had to a break through was liking green apple paintings on the fences instead of red ones. Don't even get me started on how she hated the idea of not fencing in her apple trees. We just finally gave up on working with her feelings on the farm._

 _Fluttershy, I couldn't deal… I couldn't even help her stop being afraid of her own shadow. She screamed and climbed on me every time she saw it, so the dragon test was out of the question. It was just…! Ugh… Needless to say, the last few days we tried to work on their flaws. Nothing worked and we were all tired and angry with ourselves, nothing was working. Then one day when we met at the map of Equestria, I made the biggest mistake of my life._

And so Twilight and her friends reentered the meeting room once again. Weary faces were all around, it was kind of creeping Spike out as he sat in his chair patiently. The mares quietly sat all around him and let out a group of sighs to exhaust all the stress from the pass few days. Twilight didn't even brush her mane and appeared half asleep as she was last to take her seat next to Spike. Finally after a few minutes of aimlessly staring at the Equestria map, he broke the silence.

"So…I take it today's personality readjustment didn't go well again?"Spike asked as the mares all groaned with exhaustion and stress from the reminder.

"Well that would be an understatement…! My family now thinks I'm more mule than pony!"Applejack exclaimed with a bit of anger and guilt.

"And I'm pretty sure me and Twilight got banished for three months from Cloudsdale…!"Rainbow ranted about almost getting ran out of town by a swarm of Pegasus ponies.

"I scared a nervous filly that was hoping for a low key party… I turned it into a blow out disaster…!"Pinkie explained one of her most humiliating party failures.

"My shadow still scares me… I'm horrible at being braved…"Fluttershy admitted shamefully of her fear that continued to cause trouble in her line of work with animals.

"You don't even want to know about the blow out that occurred when a mare brought her dust covered son into the boutique…!"Rarity scoffed and lowered her ears after remembering how rude she was to the dirty colt.

"We ain't doing so hot on this whole changing our ways a bit here, Twilight."Applejack stated the obvious, causing more stress to wrap around Twilight's weakened mind.

"Believe me I know…! I just don't know what else we could do to help make changing easier for all of you,"Twilight exclaimed to release the stress that had been building up for days,"Nothing we've done has been working. Everything I tried out from a psychology book hasn't worked at all!"

"Maybe we just weren't meant to be any better than what we are now…"Fluttershy incited a thought that both worried her and gave some sort of comfort to the shy mare.

"No…! I made a promise to help every pony change for the better, and that's what I'm going to do,"Twilight announced her promise that she herself made to her friends,"We just need a new approach to finding a way to reach into every one of your personalities and working on the flaws within them."

"Uh… Couldn't we just use magic to take away all the negative personality traits?"Spike decided to ask an controversial question that was always brought up as a shortcut to solving problems.

"Oh come now, Spike…! Magic can do many things, but it's not something you can just use to change other ponies!"Rarity showed a bit of skepticism at the idea of using magic on their personalities.

"Wait a minute…! That could actually work! There was a spell in the book I was reading up on back when we were trying to reform Discord,"Twilight recalled a book that was remade after the original was eaten up by their friend the god of chaos,"Give me just a minute to retrieve the book!"

Twilight was quick to vanish into thin air with a bright purple flash of her magic. Leaving her friends at the meeting room for a solid minute to search for the book. They all looked to each other with confusion and more skepticism, magic was actually going to be an option. In another flash of bright purple magic, Twilight reappeared with a book floating all around her upon landing. She slammed the book down on the table and quickly opened it up to skim through the pages to find it.

"Here it is! The personality purge spell. Select certain traits from an individual and purge them from the owner,"Twilight read the descriptions of the spell that she would never forget,"This will leave the other personality traits to compensate and build upon the missing traits in a harmless matter!"

Her friends were a bit taken by the cut and clean description of the spell in question. It sounded harmless and helpful to them, something that was rare with almost any magic spell they had encountered. If this spell could really change them for the better, then it may have actually been worth trying.

"That…actually…sounds pretty safe and helpful their, Twilight! Any catches?"Applejack asked with honest worry for any back lash effects.

"It doesn't say anything about the dangers of using it. Other than just standing clear for the traits to dissipate rather than get picked up by another,"Twilight explained what she could see as the biggest trouble of using the spell,"Other than that… This spell is perfect! We can just purge all the negative personality traits you all have!"

"Well… I suppose if there's no catch to the spell… Oh why not…! What other choice do we have?"Rarity was a bit hesitate, but finally opened up to the idea of a simple purging spell.

"Yeah. This might be our only real chance at being better ponies!"Rainbow decided to agree to the idea of using magic to solve this problem.

"If it means I can be brave and protect my little friends. I'm all in for it…!"Fluttershy also agreed, thinking of the safety and security of her animal friends.

"Me too! I'll do it for all the children and the parties!"Pinkie was more than ready to agree to the idea.

"Welp… Looks like my mind is made up…! Let's give it a world, Twilight."Applejack was still hesitate to agree, but she felt it was her irritable stubbornness trying to make her disagree.

"Excellent! Every pony line up over here. I'll need you all in a line for an even flow of magic."Twilight hopped off her chair and pointed out a place against the wall for them to stand.

The mares did just that, casually getting out of their seats to walk to the designated spot. Spike stayed in his chair and peaked over the mass of his chair to watch this event unfold. He swallowed, nervous about the possibilities that could happen from this use of magic. The ladies lined up, while Twilight thoroughly read up on how to perform the spell, it appeared somewhat advanced. But she was an Alicorn, and Alicorns were all about advanced and even expert grade magic.

After a moment of reading, Twilight was confident enough to close up the book and perform the spell. She made the book disappear, giving her a chance to look at her eager friends. They were as ready as they were willing to be for this life changing moment they would under go. Twilight saw the bit of confidence her friends had in her, and lit up her horn with a flaring glow of purple. The magic then suddenly turned dark blue, before shooting out of her horn like a serpent.

The mares felt their nerves rattling and weakening the moment it struck. The serpent like magic went clean through Applejack's head, it made her head feel like a balloon full of pressure. Only for the magic to exit out the back of her head, causing a great feeling of relief for the farm pony. IT the curved and went right through Rainbow's head, causing the same event of feelings. It exited out of her forehead and curved once more before going into Rarity's head.

The spell repeated the actions through Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy before finishing. Leaving the mares feeling a bit light headed, but their emotions felt soft and gentle like their bodies. New found feelings were arousing their personalities, humility, willingness, calmness, tolerance, bravery. These new found feelings felt like absolute miracles throughout their bodies. They were slow to investigate themselves, Fluttershy couldn't believe how cute her shadow was, rather than scary.

"Oh… It's just like me…! Only it's darker and flat. Nothing to be scared of…!"Fluttershy came to terms with her shadow, no longer feeling an ounce of fear within herself.

"Neat! I don't know about y'all. But I feel like having a family meeting about doing some changes to the farm!"Applejack felt the need to speak to her family about what they ALL could do for the farm, rather than just her.

"And… I feel like I owe a lot of Pegasi ponies an apology. And a lot of flying lessons for Scootaloo,"Rainbow Dash admitted as her humility and guilt for her self righteousness began to hit her,"I feel like that kid deserves to fly high and strong. Maybe even better than me one day…!"

"And I feel so calm! Now I feel like I won't scare new comers and children!"Pinkie Pie exclaimed in a tone way less crazed and loud than normal.

"And I have an apology and an outfit to make for that poor colt I degraded…!"Rarity exclaimed with happiness and new found lack of judgment for others.

"It WORKED! I can't believe it worked! This is one of the greatest moments in the history of magic,"Twilight exclaimed with excitement as she truly felt her friends were still there, but no longer had their intolerant flaws,"How do you all feel? Does everything feel different, maybe just a little different?"

"Well… We don't feel too different. We just… Feel like a little bit of a weight is off our shoulders."Applejack looked to the others before assuming how they all felt.

"You know it! This humility deal feels awesome! I don't feel my pride weighing down on me!"Rainbow Dash celebrated with a loop de loop through the air.

"Same here! I don't feel the least bit disgusted about anything dirty or vile. Except for anything absolutely evil!"Rarity added as she giggled with these brighter and more loving feelings.

"And I feel like I could stare king Sombra right in the eyes and tell him to leave…!"Fluttershy chirped and flew around with Rainbow Dash.

"And I feel like I can be a friendly and not terrifying face any more. Now I can be a friend to any pony!"Pinkie expressed her excitement calmly and with pride.

"Excellent! I promised I'd help you all change, and now it is finished!"Twilight felt new found pride in herself while not noticing the black and blue magic suddenly fusing together rather than deteriorating.

"Uh…Twilight…?!"Spike tried to alarm her as he shivered behind his chair at the sight of the scary magic.

"So, what's say we all go out and see how you all adjust to your brand new selves?"Twilight suggested a little test drive to see how her friends would adjust to their tweaked personalities.

"Twilight…! Serious big problem going on with that spell…!"Spike tried harder to alarm the others to what was happening above their heads.

"That sounds like a mighty fine idea, Twilight! How about a trip to my place for supper? If that sounds ok with the rest of y'all?"Applejack showed politeness when offering to bring them to her place for dinner.

"TWILIGHT!"Spike finally got their attention and pointed to the smokey blue and black mass of magic.

They all turned to the ceiling above their heads, gasping at the magical anomaly. Twilight swallowed the moment blue electricity stabbed and shot from the energy like magic ball within the smoke. The mares widen their eyes and felt their ears twitching from the sharp deep ringing the magic was making. The light began to grow from within the orb, only to turn splinter like and dark before their eyes. It pulsed as the lightning began to shoot down to the floor before them.

This came before the smoke spiraled like a tiny twister, touching down on the floor. Creating the perfect path for the orb to slowly descend down through the spiral of smoke and static. It continued to pulse and bulge, a very close inspection showed something forming from within. Like a creature forming from within the magic as if it were an egg of such. Their eyes sparkled as the orb came in for a landing, it nearly cracked the floor upon landing with much static.

It then quaked and trembled, the magic became unstable as the smoke cleared. Allowing them all a clear view of the orb cracking apart, while something began to move around from within. A scream then echoed from within, a female like scream that sounded almost like a pony. Their ears flatten to block out the noise before the orb finally exploded into many pieces of magic. The pieces were quick to fade away as a bright blue light engulfed the entire room.

They all covered their eyes, waiting for the light to finally fade away. They were all afraid, wondering what horrors could befallen them for not standing clear of the magic. Thankfully, they felt the warmth of light dying down, cooling off their bodies before a dimly lit room was left. Twilight was the first to uncover her eyes before her friends were quick to follow. They were quick to look around, Twilight gulped with fear from what could have happened.

"What just happened?! Is every pony ok?! Any pony hurt?"Twilight assessed her friends and Spike for any discomforts or injuries.

"Well, my eyes hurt a bit from all that bright light…! What in tarnation was that?!"Applejack wondered as Twilight began to light up the room again.

"I don't know! Let's look around and see what might have changed from the magic!"Twilight suggested to her friends, only for Spike to spot the result of the magic laying right where the orb was.

"I found it! Look what's laying on the floor…! Right where the orb touched down…!"Spike was nervous to jump off his seat and point out what laid on the floor.

The mares gasped as they bare witnessed to a pitch black mare laying on the floor. She appeared to be an earth pony of some sorts, no wings or horn of any kind to be seen. She laid on her side, trembling and shuddering with a great chill making her soft black fur stand up. Twilight and her friends were lost for words, a mare created from pure magic seemed unheard of and abominable. Yet this one showed no signs of evil or bad intentions, it almost felt like they were in the presence of a foal.

They all remained silent, as Twilight swallowed and decided to be the bold one. She slowly approached the mare from the side, slowly reaching out to the mare to comfort her. She manage to slowly roll their mare onto her back, feeling her neck that gave a sign of life, but she was cold. Suddenly the mare snapped her eyes open to greatly blurry vision, they both gasped with fear. The dark mare looked in both directions, panting and feeling the very first rush of fear and life.

It was only when Twilight instinctively sprouted her wings and covered the mare that she felt her first rush of warmth. Her panting became smooth, Twilight broke into a sweat from the craziness that was happening. Finally once she was staring the mare of black right in the eyes. That was the moment the mare felt her vision turning crystal clear, witnessing the very first sight of the one who made her. Her breathing began to slow down, as she continued gazing into the first pair of friendly eyes she would ever know.

"Girls…! Get a blanket and clear out a room…! I think we've just…MADE….a new friend,"Twilight whispered as if the mare was her child and she needed to protect her,"It's ok…! Don't worry…! I'm here…! No pony is going to hurt you now… You're safe…!"

The black mare let out a long breath that shuddered with lingering coldness. She slowly started to lift her hooves for the first time, only to look at them and see what she was. Before she then slowly reached out and wrapped her hooves around Twilight, huddling against her for warmth. Twilight blushed a bit, but felt flattery at a higher level as she returned the hug she was given. She kept the mare warm while her friends rushed to get blankets and a room ready for the new pony.

"Momma…"Came the whispering echoes of a voice that sounded in Twilight's head.

 _And so she was born… Maul came to be the pony I thought of as my child and… And… I… I can't…! I don't feel like I can say any more…!_

Twilight sudden felt herself shocked out of the memories by fear and the pain of what followed. She no longer felt the strength to tell every pony the story of what happened so long ago. She was in a sweat before every pony, panting as she tried to relax from the memories that flooded into her head.

"Easy Twilight…! Just keep breathing, and try some tea…!"Celestia worried as she stirred up a new cup of hot tea and gave it to Twilight to drink and calm her nerves.

The princess of friendship took up the tea with shaky hooves that threaten to spill it everywhere. She brought it to her lips and began to sip it while receiving a sudden shoulder massage from Blank. She sipped her tea slowly and began to breath a little bit more easily.

"Thank you… And I'm sorry…! I just can't say any more…! The memories are coming in too fast…! It's all hitting me as if it just… happened…!"Twilight apologized with fragile sanity as Celestia lifted her chin before both royal sisters gave her a hug.

"It's alright, Twilight…! We can only imagine the chaos that followed…"Luna admitted their understanding of Twilight's struggle while feeling the tears of the friendship princess touching their shoulders.

 _ **The birth of Maul, the ultimate destroyer of Equestria's harmony and innocence. There will be more to the story much later on, but you all deserved a broad chunk of it to start out with. So be ready for more friendship's spirit and stay pony every one.**_


	12. Chapter 11: The Rise Against Disharmony

Chapter 11: The Rise Against Disharmony

With the more broad and less personal details of the story told. Twilight and the other princesses departed with Blank hanging back to close the doors for them. The princess of broken friendship had finally found a sense of calm after regaling her difficult story to her former mentor. She finally stopped sweating even, a step in the right direction, at least for Blank it seemed that way. Thankfully, Spike was on his way to fulfill a most peculiar and surprising request.

"So Maul will not stop until it's all hers… Every last part of Equestria."Celestia assumed as Twilight slowly nodded to the assumption of conquest.

"However… Not even that will be enough. All she ever does is want want WANT,"Twilight explained the depths of Maul's greed and hunger for everything,"Her desire to take and hurt has no bounds, and it can never be satiated…! She'll just keep fighting and taking, and consuming until nothing remains…!"

"Is there anything that can harm her? Anything that may undo her disharmonic magic?"Luna asked before the answer struck her while Twilight explained it nice and clear.

"No… The only thing that could undo her disharmony died along with my friends,"Twilight explained while Luna lowered her head in shame for realizing the answer too late,"We may be able to fight her off, but she's made certain that she will not cease to exist, and her evil magic will always influence Equestria…!"

"There's always hope… perhaps we could reach princess Cadence for help?"Celestia suggested a plan of action by asking for aid from Twilight's old foal sitter and sister in law.

"Really… You all should not have to get yourself involved in my endeavors,"Twilight insisted that this was her burden to bare in this hard time,"Trying to fight my battles and protect me is what got every pony killed, and last thing I need is to lose either of you, or Cadence!"

"Twilight… We're not going to just leave you to bare this misery on your own, you've suffered for fifty long years,"Celestia insisted and lifted her student's chin in hopes to prevent hostility,"It sure appears that Blank will not leave, so we won't either…"

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Your rooms have been prepared to perfection,"Spike returned to the group with two keys to offer to the royal sisters,"I hope you'll enjoy your stay here. Though it's sort of shocking that you both are willing to stay for so long…!"

"Work at Canterlot has been very slow and little since the rise of all this darkness,"Celestia reassured while taking up her key alongside Luna,"The darkness has intimidated ponies to the point that they fear the idea of messaging or requesting help or anything that regards us."

"And so we barely been able to do much of anything for any pony. If anything this is all we can do for the most part,"Luna explained further after taking up the key and giggled for almost having to reach up to get it,"You really have grown up. Never did I think we would need to almost reach up to receive something from you, Spike…!"

"Thanks…"Spike thanked and blushed a bit for his age and height being recognized again.

Blank sighed, her heart continued to flutter with happiness to see such a group of friends. They were like family to one another, yet she felt a bit out of place among the ponies and dragon. Her ears wanted to droop a bit, but she didn't exactly know how to handle this feeling of being left out. Thankfully, the sudden rumbles that slowly began to escalate in the distance got her attention. It made Blank's spine go ice cold with the very dark feeling Maul gave her, danger was approaching.

She was quick to rush off to the nearest window that showed the direction of the noise. Rushing through the group got every pony's attention as she took off down the hall. The princesses and dragon were now a bit worried, especially when they could feel the rumbling as well.

"Blank…? What is it this time?"Twilight called out before they all went after the mare of white.

Quickly the mare of white squashed her face against the window to see. Only to hear the vicious hiss like roars of the approaching creature, a cragodile was on the attack. Slowly it was pushing over the wall to enter the town, the collar around it's neck beckoned it so. Filling it's body with great power, forcing out all it's truest aggression to bust down the wall. Blank reared back and passed every pony again on her way to the exit, allowing the others to look out the window towards the incoming threat.

"Oh no… She sent a cragodile…! And she's collared it too!"Twilight exclaimed before running after Blank.

"What does that mean?"Luna asked about the fact that it was collared.

"It means Maul is controlling it…! It needs to be killed once it's been collared!"Spike explained before running off as well to catch up and do his part.

Blank rushed and almost stumbled down the steps before slamming against the door. She shook it off, feeling a form of natural need to protect and help all creatures in distress. As well as a righteous attitude to conquer and win forcing her to bring forth her unknown strength. She burst out the door, while Twilight was far behind, panting and sweating from trying to keep up. Clearly this showed off how out of shape and how rusty Twilight had become in the last fifty years.

"Blank…! Blank wait! It's collared!"Twilight panted and struggled to run after the mare of white.

She groaned, only to be swarmed and slowed down by the panicking crowd of ponies. She tried to look through the crowd, and was able to make out the crumbling of the stone wall. With the wall coming down into a crumbling cloud of stone and dust, the creature could now enter the town. This put a bit of a pep in her step as she tried to work her way through the crowd. Knowing that Blank could easily be killed by something under the possession of Maul herself.

However it appeared that Blank was not scared of approaching such a beast. It roared, stomping proudly into Ponyville, looking around to all the scurrying towns ponies. It's jaws snapped at them and crushed everything it could lock onto, from wheel barrels, to carts and even houses. It's glowing blue eyes searched for anything it could destroy, destruction was screaming in it's head. It snarled while latching onto another house and slowly crushing it into it's gullet.

With the house destroyed, it lowered it's head, smashing an apple stand to pieces. It barely missed it's honor, as Apple Bloom stood before the creature in shock for her stand's destruction. The elder Apple mare responded by throwing an apple, and letting it splatter in the creature's face to grab it's attention.

"Now you don just ruined my supply of apples! How the hay you expect to get any food if you destroy it all, Maul,"Apple Bloom hollered as the cragodile looked down and into the southern pony's eyes,"You done nothing but destroy everything you touch…! When are you gonna realize you can't have everything you want in life?! Why don't you for once, understand all the cruel things you've done?!"

Her words were lost in the sudden rage that erupted from the reptilian beast. The eyes illuminated even more so as it roared in Apple Bloom's face, showing Maul's outrage. It then lunged forward to swallow Apple Bloom whole, silencing her harsh words for good. Only to miss the old mare by an inch, and seeing Blank flying above it's head with Apple Bloom in her forearms. The cragodile slowly looked up, allowing Maul and Blank to exchange silent, but very intense stares.

"Uh… Much oblige there, Blank…! I reckon I owe you twice now for saving my skin,"Apple Bloom admitted while the white mare kept her eyes on the Maul possessed predator,"So I hear you finally made contact with Twilight, and she's ready to finally start fighting again."

Blank then looked to Apple Bloom for a split second to give her a nod. The nod reassured Apple Bloom, as she placed her hoof to her heart in relief and reborn hope. However now was not the time for pleasantries, for Maul saw her opportunity and forced the monster to attack. Blank shot to the right to avoid the massive jaws of the beast, circling behind it to reach the ground. Where she was able to let Apple Bloom get off and run for her life, leaving Blank to face the reptile.

"You…! You will not stop me…! SHE is mine…! No pony else comes between me and her! NO PONY!"The dark female voice echoed from the beast as it reared back to snap at Blank.

"There's plenty of ponies still before Twilight! Take a number!"Spike yelled before he had suddenly plunged from a jump to the sky and slammed right on top of the beast.

The cragodile roared and lifted it's head up, snapping at the air to reach for Spike. While the dragon dug his claws into the thick skin of the reptile fiercely to bleed the cragodile. He yanked and tore into the monster's scalp, finally forcing the beast to rear back on two legs. Giving Spike the window he needed to drop down and cut out the back of it's legs. He rushed in, and used his claws to slice the spots right above the back of the cragodile's back feet, instantly taking away any sense of balance.

He then opened up his mouth and unleashed a torrent of green flames that slammed into the reptile's soft belly. Knocking it violently onto it's back, kicking up dirt and quaking the ground. The beast hissed and struggled on it's back, it's tail swung wildly as Spike breathed deeply. Now he just had to slice open the soft chest and destroy the heart to destroy the monster. And so Spike took it upon himself to finish the monster off, but Maul would not accept defeat by a young dragon.

And so she took more control of the creature to swing the battle into her favor once more. She swung the tail side by side, waiting for the right moment that Spike was coming down. Her sharp eyes got tense as she quickly lifted the tail upwards and swung down like a bat. Taking Spike by surprise, and slamming the dragon into the ground, crushing him under the monster's tail. This gave her a chance to let black and blue smoke rise from the wounds on the creature's back legs.

Spike attempted to lift the monster's tail off him, he struggled to stand up and hold the creatures tail above his head. Blood began to stream out of his nose and the left corner of his jaw. Suddenly he gasped to see the wounds he inflicted fully healed within just a moment. He gulped, as the creature sat up and stared at the dragon holding up it's tail, now it was dinner time. And so she opened up her jaws and lunged in to sweep Spike up into the awaiting jaws of death.

He closed his eyes to brace, only to hear the solid halt of the jaws that hungered. He opened one eye, and saw Blank dispensing her immense strength, and holding the jaws back and open. This kept the creature from daring to try and get any closer, her strength was a great struggle.

"Spike! Stand clear! I'll get it!"Twilight called out and finally arrived before shooting a blast of magic into the side of the cragodile's snout.

Spike managed to snake out of the creature's grasp, leaving Blank to hold the creature in place. She charged up her magic, aiming it like a gun he moment she saw an opening to hit the chest. However the intentions began to change, the minute Blank felt a sudden feeling overwhelm her. She looked into the creature's eyes, as her own white eyes turned turquoise in color. She saw the shine of magic off the corner of her eyes, and spotted Twilight about to take her shot.

Suddenly, Blank lifted up her hoof to Twilight, beckoning her to stop. Twilight widened her eyes to see Blank suddenly wishing her to stop what she was daring to do. Confusion bewildered her, but the familiar turquoise eyes kept her calm and slowly made her lower her horn.

"Blank…? What are you doing? That thing is going to kill you!"Twilight warned, only for Blank to slowly look back to the cragodile.

"Wait Twilight…! It's in pain…! It just wants the collar off…!"Came the very gentle and loving voice of an old nature loving friend.

"Fluttershy…?"Twilight looked around and could not find the source of the voice.

"Just give her a couple minutes. Let's end this peacefully for a change."Fluttershy spoke as Twilight looked forward to see Blank suddenly petting the snout of the reptile.

"What…? But… Blank?"Twilight shook her head at the sight as the white mare held the creature in place while reaching towards the collar.

Blank shushed and quietly gripped at the collar, looking over it nice and thoroughly. The same white runes from the Yang ponies could be seen all around the collar. It was tight as well, the dark item could be choking the poor cragodile a this point, that needed to stop. So she gripped at the color, her touch immediately made the collar shake ad tremble as the runes began to fade. With a strong tug at the collar, it was cracking up and rumbling with sudden lack of stability.

The screams of the reptile and Maul echoed in sync through the sky with rage. Her control over the cragodile was now slipping as Blank proved to have the power to set the beast free. With a grunt and another full force pull the collar suddenly tore clean off the monster's neck. She fell backwards, slamming on her flank while the collar bounced out of her hooves. Skipping across the dirt as it slowly crumbled apart like weak stone, leaving dark magic to dissipate with it.

The reptile shook it's head, hissing and snorting as it felt it's mind returning to normal. It's body was now it's own once again, and it was a free predator of the Ever Free. As it came to, and saw the collar laying before it and Blank, it grumbled and rattled it's throat to give gratitude. Just in time for leashes of dark blue and yellow magic to connect around it's neck. Compliments of Celestia and Luna, as they circled around the scene with their magic bringing the cragodile under control.

"Well done! We can handle the cragodile from here!"Celestia called out just as every pony manage to recover in full from the scuffle.

Blank waved to the princesses, as they began to cart the creature off to the forest. To their slight surprise, it did not fight or try to attack any other ponies, it seemed willing to leave. With that danger sorted out, Blank looked to Twilight as she helped Spike stand up again. He was a bit banged up, and he was still bleeding from the tail coming down on him. She gasped and quickly made a cold rag appear in a flash of purple magic, and began to apply some wet wipes to his mouth.

"Twilight…! It's just a scratch…! I don't need to get my face wiped like a kid."Spike groaned as she wiped the blood from the side of his mouth.

"Hey, I don't care how old you get, you're still the Spike I hatched from an egg and came to Ponyville with,"Twilight made that clear while thoroughly wiping and cleaning the blood from his nose,"What happened to the days when you virtually got out of trouble unscathed?"

"I don't know… Normally it's because I was too small to get caught by anything…!"Spike snickered as Twilight finally finished cleaning his injuries.

"Funny… Nice one Blank! Didn't think there was a chance to save the cragodile. Not when it's collared,"Twilight called out as Blank waved to them and began to make her approach,"The way she did that… It was like… The way Fluttershy helped the manticore in the Ever Free…"

Suddenly, Twilight noticed the black and blue smoke rising from the collar's remains. Her fur grew cold and stuck up as it swirled and hissed with the anger that was Maul. The smoke molded into the form of her face as it stared down Blank, anger boiled from within for this defeat. Blank had just felt the ice cold wind chilling her spine and warning her of the incoming threat. She turned around with a solemn look on her face, as the smoke then let out a blood curdling scream.

Maul made their bodies go cold before shooting towards Blank, encircling her like an apex predator. She hissed, the things she wanted to do to Blank for humiliating her. She wanted to turn the mare of white to dust, but one brave Alicorn did not wish for such darkness to happen.

"Maul! No, leave her alone! Stay away from my friend,"Twilight yelled and rushed in through the smoke to protect Blank,"You are not going to do this again! You've taken enough friends from me! I won't let you take another!"

Blank looked to Twilight, feeling a jolt of warmth and light swarming through her heart. Seeing Twilight suddenly choose to protect her rather than depart for the castle. Suddenly, Twilight hugged Blank, making her gasp as she prepared for them both to take punishment from Maul.

"No pony will be between us…! Mother… There is no other but us,"Maul hissed and began to glow blue to electrocute Blank's head to fry her from the inside out,"You're my mother, and no pony will take you away from me…!"

"No…! Stay away…! Stay away from my friend, Maul! Leave us alone!"Twilight begged while tightening her hug and trembled for what she thought would be the end for Blank.

Blank slowly looked down, feeling the fear and sadness in Twilight. She sighed, and slowly began to wrap her hooves around the princess, now that she knew that Twilight was afraid. Afraid of being alone, and afraid of losing yet another friend, she held Twilight tight. Letting her suddenly start to cry on Blank as the lightning prepared to strike, the tears were streaming from the Alicorn. Blank shook, now feeling fear of no longer getting to know the feeling that was rising from within.

Suddenly, she felt her vision growing brighter and very colorful all over. Twilight felt the white mare growing warmer with each passing second, she looked up and saw rainbow lights flaring from Blank's eyes. While spirals of magic swirled and sparkled through her white fur. Once the rainbow magic flooded out her mouth, Maul found herself blinded from the bright lights. Twilight's eyes sparkled while the rainbow magic sparked in her eyes as well, a bright white orb then began to form around them.

She only kept on hugging Blank, while the orb of white light grew around them. Maul was forced to release her grip around the mares with a growl to resist the light. She tried to shield herself with both hooves, but the light was burning her forearms and making her face bubble and boil. Suddenly, an enormous crystal like blast of rainbow magic exploded from the two friends. The orb fried all the smoke around the apparition of Maul, forcing her to scream before dissipating back to the forest.

The two mares never let go of each other as the orb began to engulf the entire town. All disharmony was evaporating, the grief and misery of the town was vanishing. Every inch of the town slowly but surely was swallowed by the rainbow magic, and was going through a transformation. The mare of white only sighed, and smiled before looking down to Twilight. The love and friendship she was sharing with her filled Blank with a feeling she never wanted to forget.

"Friendship… Is magic…!"Came a female voice straight from the lips of Blank herself before her eyes closed and fell unconscious in the princess's forearms.

 _ **And so the true power of the mysterious Blank has been realized thanks to the princess of friendship. Now a war has begun a new, the life long war between good and evil on equal ground. Hope you're all ready for a battle between harmony, and disharmony. Stay pony every one!**_


	13. Chapter 12:Return Of Ponyville's Harmony

Chapter 12:Return Of Ponyville's Harmony

Her body was heavy and jelly like, it felt like she was waking up for the first time. She almost expected to awake in the underground shrine a second time, but nay. Not when Blank felt a soft bed and the gentle embrace of silk sheets surrounding her body, as her head nestled against a pillow. She took deep and slow breaths as her body then relaxed and began to lighten up a bit. As she slowly opened her eyes to bright and shining sun light that made the room around her glow.

She felt a bit light headed, but was able to lift her body up to her flank. Allowing her to slowly rub her eyes and look out the window where the sun was shining through. A yawn escaped her lips, so light and child like as she looked to herself, searching for any potential injuries. She appeared to be unscathed, but it was hard to believe after her close encounter with Maul's wrath. If only she could remember what happened when it felt like her and Twilight would die together.

Suddenly it hit her, Twilight was caught up in the smokey apparition as well. Twilight could be hurt or even worse, and there was no way Blank was going to not be at a friend's side. Not when Twilight was willing to throw herself into danger to protect Blank from her creation's was fumbling with the covers before the white mare was able to kick them off. She spun herself around to hop off the bed, only to nearly fall on her belly, her legs still felt soft and weak.

They jiggled and struggled to keep Blank standing as she tried to go for the door. She took strong breaths, trying to summon the strength she needed to walk properly again. She inched her way to the door and reached out to grab the door knob with her weak right hoof to turn it. The door clicked before it was able to slowly open up, she then used her head to push it wide open. The mare of white looked around, and there she saw Spike napping against the wall, just outside the room.

As much as Blank wanted to leave the dragon to his slumber for a bit longer. She needed answers to fill in the blanks of her memory from what happened between her and Maul. So she gently put a hoof to the dragon's shoulder, sufficing a couple hard shakes that rattled the dragon awake.

"What the…holy Aurora's soul! What the hay,"Spike swatted at the air with his close until he awoke to Blank nudging him in the shoulder,"Blank! You finally woke up! You have any idea how worried we were?!"

Blank looked at him with confusion, before he then surprised her once more. The surprise came in the form of a big hug as the dragon tightly wrapped his strong dragon arms around her. His hug was affectionate and tight, she patted his back in response while trying to figure out what was going on.

"You've been out of it for two and a half days so far…! Twilight started to get scared that you wouldn't wake up,"This new information shocked and made Blank's heart sink to her stomach,"Maul was going to consume you. To erase you completely! But… Then you… Used some sort of power!"

Curiosity was then added to the confusion at the mention of some sort of power. She remembered next to nothing about any power, other than closing her eyes to comfort a fearful Twilight. Then everything went white and faded to black, this only meant that Blank needed more information.

"Just…everything went up in a massive wave of rainbows and while light, and Maul was forced away,"Spike continued filling her in on the situation before a miraculous thing came to his mind,"Not only that, but the magic! The magic did something amazing! You have to come and see! Can you walk?"

Blank kicked her hooves and tried to wriggle her legs, checking on their condition. Thankfully she did feel her legs returning to full strength, allowing her to walk normal once again. So she responded with a little nod that the dragon responded to by holding her hoof to walk. He was fast walking with her in his grip, major excitement was mounting in the dragon's heart. While Blank struggled to keep walking with the dragon that pulled ad rushed with her down the hallway.

Spike and Blank passed by a couple, who were oddly very colorful and smiling. They waved to Blank, while she became more puzzled to not see two ponies depressed and in rags. More and more ponies like them could be seen in the same colorful form, smiling and waving.

"Believe me, we were shocked when we saw what happened to the ponies of Ponyville too,"Spike noticed her confusion and admitted Twilight and his own confusion,"You think that's crazy. You gotta see what happened to the entire town! It's amazing!"

Blank kept a face of curiosity and confusion, hoping to see what happened while she slumbered. Thankfully, Spike was more than up for picking up the pace to go see Twilight. So they jogged down the rest of the hall way before making a sharp right to another hall way. Where they could then see Twilight and the princesses of day and night standing upon a balcony. The sun was glittering off their coats as they overlooked a completely transformed Ponyville.

Building's were no longer in shambles, completely destroyed or even shut down any more. Everything appeared to be brand new and remade, catching the old glory they held in the old days. Twilight was captured in a moment of nostalgia, the town shaped like it was before Maul. The ponies were colorful, dressed in fancy clothes or no clothes at all for natural beauty. They were all smiling, and many had even gone through a bizarre age regression, as if the young were once cursed with age.

"I wish we could figure out how all of this was possible."Celestia admitted her fascination and desire to learn about the magic that caused this miracle.

"It is nothing short of a miracle. It is like the magic you and Blank utilized has lifted a curse,"Luna pointed out an interesting thought behind the magic that was brought to life,"You should be feeling great pride and joy for this, Twilight."

"I'll feel better about Ponyville's transformation when Blank is awake."Twilight explained as she solemnly watched the ponies that flocked around the town as they did fifty years ago.

"Do you not at least wanna go down there and explore the town?"Celestia suggested some exploration to pass the time till Blank awoke once more.

"Not without my friend at my side. That's… The only way I ever came to love this town,"Twilight sighed and wrapped her hooves around the railing of the balcony,"I had my friends with me… To show me the town's beauty and it's heart."

"How…curious. At first it appeared that you did not care much for Blank. It was like she was just a friendly face to you,"Celestia took notice of Twilight's shift in priorities towards Blank,"Now you seem to not want her to leave your side…"

"Well you don't need to worry about that any time soon!"Spike suddenly arrived with Blank and got the attention of all the princesses.

They all turned to greet the dragon, before seeing the mare of white with him. To see Blank alive and well was a joy to be seen in the eyes of the royal sisters, but Twilight was even more so. What was once expected to be nothing more than a friendly greeting, turned into deep happiness. Twilight rushed to Blank and wrapped her hooves around the confused white mare. Her hug came tight but warm, so much love came with this sudden embrace that Twilight gave to Blank.

"Blank…! I was scared that you weren't going to wake up. You slept for so long,"Twilight exclaimed while hugging Blank tight while the mare of white patted her back,"When I saw Maul coming for you, I thought she was going to kill you…!"

Blank could not find words to say, even if she could speak by some miracle. She only patted and rubbed Twilight's back, and slowly began to smile with a warm new feeling. The thought of another pony caring for her, it awake a feeling she could not fully understand, but she liked it.

"Please, try not to be so reckless next time! We don't know if that magic will save us again."Twilight gave her wish that Blank remain closer to home and be more cautious.

"She was doing just fine, Twilight. We couldn't see everything happening when there was a cragodile in Ponyville."Spike insisted that Twilight not dwell or become over thoughtful of dangers.

"Then we need to be more watchful…! Next time, we won't let anything surprise us!"Twilight decided before Blank managed to wrestle herself free from the hug.

"I think she's curious to know what happened in her absence."Luna noticed Blank's change of mood the minute she wriggled free from Twilight's grasp.

"Already? But shouldn't you rest for just a bit longer, Blank?"Twilight questioned before Blank was looking over the railing, gasping at the immense transformation Ponyville had underwent.

Her eyes glittered with such beauty the town now showed to her. This awoke a great deal of spirit and wonder from within, as if something inside found the sight deeply pleasing. An urge then grew in her, she wanted to explore and see the town up close and personal, witnessing it's rekindled wonders. So she turned to the princesses and pointed to the town to show her fascination. Twilight and the others didn't need more than a minute to figure out what she wanted.

"You already wanna get going through town? You just woke up, Blank!"Twilight exclaimed but could not instill any sort of means of taming Blank's excitement.

"She just can't help but to be curious, Twilight. She just saw what it looked like before,"Spike defended Blank's ambition and interest in the new form the town had taken on,"Why not just go out a bit and explore Ponyville. It could be fun!"

"You did say you could enjoy the town more with Blank by your side."Luna pointed out a detail from their earlier conversations.

"Yes, but I meant when she was feeling better, and when we felt ready to explore and once we knew for sure that-"Twilight was suddenly taken up by the hoof by an unamused Blank that was not up for excuses.

She then shocked them all by suddenly running with Twilight to the ledge. She vaulted the railing, every pony watched in awe for the maddening leap of faith she took with Twilight. Twilight needed a moment to process what was happening before she let out a scream of fair. They soared through the air, before they were slowly descending over the railing and towards the ground before the town. It was all thanks to Blank slowly activating her ability of flight for a soft landing.

"Well… Looks like I'm taking the stairs down."Spike decided to take the safe route down to the town.

While Spike rook his time getting out of the castle, the ladies reached the end of their scenic route. As they finally touched down to the ground in front of the rainbow castle door. Twilight needed a moment to catch her breath from the graceful leap of faith over the balcony railing. Once she was able to, she was ready to yell at Blank for such a dramatic trip down from the castle. Only to be derailed by Blank's sudden look at astonishment and happiness that swam through her.

"At least warn some pony before you go and…! Oh… You really wanted to see the town, didn't you,"Twilight changed her tune, not wanting the moment Blank was having to be ruined,"It looks like it did over fifty years ago… Like the day I first came to Ponyville as a young unicorn student."

Blank took a look around, so many colorful characters to meet and greet. So many smiles to brighten up her day, and all this was caused by some sort of great magic from her and Twilight. Suddenly she noticed a familiar, but oddly younger face just now strolling towards the boutique. Or one would say, the new and improved boutique that was no longer in shambles. Blank needed to investigate the familiar stranger, as well as the beautiful transformation of the boutique.

So she took hold of Twilight's hoof and started to pull her into the town. Where it did not take too long for the ponies to take notice of their princess of friendship, and the mare of white. The ponies waved and gossiped among themselves speaking of what happened days ago. Knowing that Twilight and Blank were responsible for the miracle that turned everything harmonic once again. It was like their gossips were giving birth to a new legend in the history of Equestria.

"Blank…! Are you sure we can't do this some other time? Every pony is staring…!"Twilight worried and tried to cover her face, embarrassed to be before her ponies after so long.

Blank only shook her head and kept moving Twilight towards the boutique. Twilight kept her head down, nervous to be going to one of her friend's old boutique, where fashion was crafted. Now it would serve as the place where Twilight would meet up with three of her friend's sisters. The moment they had finally arrived, Blank immediately flagged down the stranger. She reached for the shoulder of the young vanilla colored Earth pony mare, her reveal was shocking for Blank.

"Well look who we got here…! You turned out alright for a pony born from a shrine,"The mare responded with a giggle as Blank struggled to believe who the red mane mare was,"I know, last time you saw me I was all old and frail. But you made this whole thing possible…!"

"Apple Bloom…?"Twilight was finally released, and slowly approached the golden eyed southern pony.

"Twilight…? As I live and breath…! I haven't gotten to see your face in the longest time,"The revealed and oddly age regressed Apple Bloom rushed to Twilight and slowly held the princess by her cheeks,"My goodness…! You haven't aged a single day… You're still that pony that taught me and the girls to be all that we could be…"

"What happened to you…? I thought you and the girls were…"Twilight worried as Apple Bloom slowly released her cheeks and then hugged her.

"Other than Maul turning us to permanent old ladies after ransacking her castle,"Apple Bloom tried to laugh off what happened so long ago that was done out of the love she and her friends had for their sisters,"We've been ok. I operate the farm, Sweetie runs the boutique here. Scoots has been teaching kids to fend for themselves against the Yangs."

"That's…good to hear… I'm… I'm sorry. For everything I did wrong to you and the girls,"Twilight decided to derail from small talk to an apology for everything that happened,"I should have done the right thing, and fought Maul instead of breaking apart… Your sister's would have never wavered to her…"

"Don't blame yourself for what happened… You couldn't have known she was using you,"Apple Bloom insisted that Twilight did not burden herself with the blame of what happened,"The girls are waiting inside if the two of you would like to see them. I'm getting outfitted for a dress to attend the party up in the castle."

"Oh yeah… The princesses decided it was prudent to have a celebration for Ponyville's transformation,"Twilight remembered a pass even that was made thanks to the insistence of her old teacher,"I guess this would be a good time for me to get measured for a new dress too. Sweetie wouldn't mind working with me too, would she?"

"Not at all, she'd probably be honored to work with an old friend,"Apple Bloom replied and started knocking on the door to get some attention inside,"Sweetie Belle! It's Apple Bloom! Mind opening up for a few friends?"

After her call, it did not take long for the door to open up to a beautiful pink and purple boutique. Twilight felt a wave of nostalgia, for the inside looked exactly the same way as it did when Rarity was in charge. The memories of drama, dress making, and problem solving came to mind. Before an equally young Sweetie Belle poked her head through the door to see the group of ponies. Apple Bloom was one familiar face to see, but seeing Blank and Twilight was a whole new feeling for her.

While a young mare Scootaloo tried her best to see the arrivals from a chair. Where her short tomboyish man was getting curled and styled for the party that was to take place at the party. But there was no way she could miss meeting the princess and the white mare once again.

"Apple Bloom…! It's so good to see you again. And curse free, no less."Sweetie Belle exclaimed and hugged Apple Bloom before looking to her two new companions,"Twilight Sparkle…! I thought I was never going to see your sweet face again! You really came through for us, Ms Blank."

"Mind if we all come in and chat with you and Scoots?"Apple Bloom asked while Blank waved to Sweetie Belle happily.

"Of course! Come in, come in!"Sweetie gave them all a warm welcome as they all slowly began to go inside.

Twilight was hesitate to enter such a place of memories where her friend's magic happened. But an opportunity like this would be a wise investment to take up to rekindle with the girls. Sweetie knew this all too well, which beckoned her to be more insistent that Twilight came with them.

"Well don't be shy, Twilight. Please, come on in…!"Sweetie welcomed Twilight more, and finally got the princess to smile and enter the boutique.

 _ **You're all probably wondering how it was possible for the CMC to go from old mares to young mares. It'll be explained in the next question, hopefully it will be a knowledgeable explanation to put you all at ease. Till then, more will come and the battle against Maul will soon begin. Stay pony every one.**_


	14. Chapter 13: A Filly's Impossible Revenge

Chapter 13: A Filly's Impossible Revenge

It was nostalgia all over the Ponyville boutique for Twilight Sparkle. Among her was Blank Slate and the now young sisters of the friends she knew so long ago. Blank was currently enjoying herself, being measured for a dress while her mane was at long last getting styled. Scootaloo was thinking a curly pony tail would go well with Blank, it would help her stand out more. After all she was a unique and mysterious white mare after all, she needed something that emphasized her uniqueness.

Twilight in the meantime was sitting and having her mane brushed down to mimic what it once was. Sleek, shiny, not too styled, but very cute for a pony that had her muzzle in books most of her life. This gave Twilight the chance she needed to speak with the famous crusaders, for they had a story to tell.

"Everything looks amazing here! The three of you look amazing…! It's so good to see you all,"Twilight proclaimed her happiness to meet the mares that were once the ambitious Cutie Mark Crusaders,"No matter how old you girls are. You all still look like the three little crusaders searching for your cutie marks."

"You haven't aged a day since we last saw you, other than having a mane and tail messier than Scoots,"Sweetie Belle admitted while Scootaloo playfully scoffed and waved off the insult,"Id Rarity saw that mane before hoof, she would have lost her mind, and she would keep you in the boutique till it was fixed permanently."

"I know… What happened to you girls? I saw how old Apple Bloom was, but now you're all young,"Twilight was quick to finally ask the question that's been on her mind for the longest time,"You couldn't be any older than I was before I was an Alicorn. How did all this happen?"

"I think you'll wanna tell her the story, Apple Bloom. You remember it better than any of us."Scootaloo insisted that Apple Bloom had to be the one to tell Twilight what happened to them.

"Well… It ain't something I'm particularly proud of, I wasn't in my right of mind,"Apple Bloom admitted as she finished brushing Twilight's mane, bringing it back to it's former glory,"I grew bitter, angry, I wanted only one thing out of life after what happened to our sisters."

"Revenge…!"Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both spoke quietly between themselves and Blank.

"After what happened to Applejack. Big Mac never recovered from the incident,"Apple Bloom began to spin her story of growing up without her grandmother and her big sister,"I had to raise myself, and take care of him. Our family was broken and in a cycle of despair."

Twilight lowered her head, the burden of her friends dead before her eyes still weighed heavy. Now she was going to learn how the death of the other elements, effected those closest to them. Apple Bloom only responded by placing a purple tulip into Twilight's mane to sugar coat her look.

"My brother died a broken stallion when I was just eighteen, and I was alone,"Apple Bloom continued her story after parting from Twilight's mane to sit down,"Finally, I lost it. I wanted retribution for what Maul had done. Never did I wanted a pony's blood more…! Even if it put others at risk."

* * *

Apple Bloom remembered that faithful night well, her bitterness and anger was unforgettable. She sat there for the longest time, glaring like a disgruntled elder at the old castle of the royal sisters. She had not moved from that spot since her arrival several hours ago, she even neglected eating or drinking. She was ready to wait till night had fallen on the castle within the Ever Free forest. Until her friends arrived at her request, but they were hesitate to be a part of what Apple Bloom had in mind.

The moon had just risen to the sky, and the stars just started to appear for the night. Yet Apple Bloom remained boiling inside, yet still and cold as a rock, and hungering for revenge. That was when Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had rattled the bushes before appearing at Apple Bloom's side.

"Were either of you spotted by any Yang scouts?"Apple Bloom started with a question on whether they were safe to begin their operation.

"No. They may be strong and dangerous, but they're also slow and stupid…!"Scootaloo replied with confidence, but continued to hide a sense of uneasiness.

"Apple Bloom, I hope you thought about this… What we're doing here is suicide,"Sweetie Belle decided to be the one to warn Apple Bloom of the dangers awaiting them,"We're entering a castle full of blood thirsty stone ponies and a crazy evil mare with the IQ of a five year old."

"You two wanna back out, that's fine…! But I got personal business with that mare…!"Apple Bloom showed conviction in her desires while revealing a large kitchen knife hidden in the bushes.

"Apple Bloom… We all lost friends and family to Maul… But we're out of our league here…!"Sweetie begged Apple Bloom to see reason against the actions she was carrying out.

"Twilight's broken and destroyed…! She can't help us when she's in her current state,"Apple Bloom argued while looking to the shiny blade she pictured painted in Maul's blood,"It's up to us to fix all this, and destroy this filthy murderous mare once and for all…!"

"But how do you expect us to tangle with some pony like that? What can we do?"Scootaloo asked, feeling a rising concern for the mental state their friend was in.

"Whatever it takes…! After all… It ain't like we got anything left lose…!"Apple Bloom replied coldly before she finally leaped out from the bushes and began to quickly sneak her way up to the castle door.

"Apple Bloom!"Her friends called to her, but the Earth pony was already dead set on her mission.

She crawled through the dark green and black vegetation surrounding the castle. She did not care how many scrapes and cuts she took against the body by brambles and thorns. Her anger, her vengeful desires masked any pain that was inflicted as she neared the castle gates. Where two Yangs were currently standing guard through the incoming night time, the most dangerous time of the forest. They were watchful, and they did not dare to lower their guard to anything in the forest.

The guard on the left however appeared to be a bit new to the world of the living. For he was watching less important things, from the bats that swarmed through the sky to the glowing spiders. A distracted guard would serve as a downfall, but Maul wasn't exactly one for properly disciplining her Yang ponies. So it was no surprise when the guard suddenly heard a small thud on the ground. He looked down to where he heard the thud, and there he found a peculiar treasure.

A small, bright red apple slowly dropped from out of nowhere before him. Rolling in the dirt, but never losing it's shiny look, this greatly enticed the curious stone pony. He looked both ways, and saw his steeled partner patiently guarding, before he then decided to go for it.

"Well… Suppose no pony would mind… It is pretty quiet out so far."The Yang thought and went for the prize apple, unaware that a silent forest meant great danger.

He inched towards the apple and went to scoop it up for a bite to eat. This was all part of the bait, and he took it without hesitation, so what came next was of his own making. He barely noticed a shadow before Apple Bloom immediately grabbed him from behind and made good use of her knife. It jammed it's way into the Yang's lower jaw and carved it clean off, silencing any potential screams. She then put the grunt in a head lock while she took her knife and made a throw of faith.

It was awarded by the knife making it's mark as it rammed into the side of the other guard's head. Slowly the guard collapsed as his head cracked and crumbled away, letting white liquid flow. While Apple Bloom forced the first guard to his flank and started to put the squeeze on him. She kept squeezing till the white fluid was bursting from the Yang's face, and even then she only squeezed tighter. Until finally, the whole head of the stone pony exploded all over her/

White fluid splashed all over Apple Bloom while stone pieces littered her mane. As she rolled to her hooves and rushed to retrieve her knife, it was easy to yank it clean out of the other guards skull. The lone Apple wasted no time, she already knew there were many guards waiting behind the gates. So she needed another way in, some way around the Yangs that gave her a straight shot at Maul. So she decided that going in the back way may be her best chance of avoiding the Yangs.

Apple Bloom didn't even stop to take in a deep breath before continuing on. She simply ran as fast as she could around the right side of the castle, only to spot more guards. They seemed oblivious, and there only appeared to be three of them, a quick and easy dispatch. With her knife at the ready, the Apple simply lunged in and pounced on top of the first Yang she could go for. She tackled him to the ground, and immediately went into a fury as she repeatedly began stabbing into his chest.

She couldn't help but yell and scream, a dangerous mistake caused by pent up rage. Her blade caused the white liquid to splash and spurt in every direction, coating her enraged face. Yet the screams only continued till the Yang finally stopped moving for a full minute of stabbing. This however left Apple Bloom open to be noticed by the other two Yangs, two mares, both Pegasus. Thankfully they appeared to be over confident, and simply wanted to deal with the lone mare themselves.

"Come on…! I dare you freaks…! Come get some!"Apple Bloom dared, triggering the closer Pegasus and causing her to charge.

The Apple mare was ready, ready to drive her blade into the Yang's head. However, Apple Bloom turned out to not be alone in this endeavor, for a blast of green unicorn magic came to her aid. It was a precise and effective shot, as it blasted the head of the attacker to bits of rock. The headless body was then quick to plummet and slam into the dirt, skipping like a pebble on water. Till it came to a grinding halt at Apple Bloom's hooves, dripping and leaking with white fluid.

"Need a hoof there old friend…!"Apple Bloom turned to the trees on her left, as Sweetie Belle appeared from out of the darkness with a smile and a glowing green horn.

"No… I need my friends…!"Apple Bloom smiled, a tear almost escaped her eye as Scootaloo exploded from a tree, going at almost sound barrier breaking speeds.

The final Yang never saw it coming till it was far too late, she was already lined up. As Scootaloo Went from a normal flight pattern to a high velocity drop kick with immense force behind it. Her kick made her soar like a star as she cleanly smash right through the torso of the Yang. The stone pony immediately burst like a watermelon, every bit of her shattered to gravel. While her watery white essence spilled and came down like rain from the softest and most forgiving of cloud.

Apple Bloom stood there, letting the cool drops soak her mane and cool her head. Before slowly turning to the approaching Sweetie Belle, who simply smiled at the sight of her friend. Scootaloo was next to approach as she flew gracefully down and landed at Sweetie's side with the same smile.

"Thank you… Both of you… I'm sorry to drag you two into this…"Apple Bloom was touched by her friends, and finally felt some remorse for throwing all care aside.

"Don't worry about it… If we don't do something about Maul, who will?"Sweetie reassured Apple Bloom that there was nothing to forgive since they all wanted the same thing.

"So how about we go get some sweet justice for our friend's and family,"Scootaloo spiraled and spun through the air to give her friends some motivation,"There's a broken window on the corner of the castle, it leads into the throne room."

"Right where Maul probably is…!"Sweetie decided to sweeten her Pegasus friend's words to satiate Apple Bloom's vengeful hunger.

"Then what are we doing standing around here?"Apple Bloom asked before Scootaloo flew right behind her and decided to give her a lift.

"Good question! How about a lift?"Scootaloo offered, and Apple Bloom answered with a friendly nod.

The orange Pegasus got her answer, and took to the sky with grace and envious speed. They smiled bravely as Apple Bloom's mane blew in the wind cause by her friend's flying. Never did it seem like Scootaloo could get this good at flying, It was like she at long last became like Rainbow Dash. Soaring at admirable speeds, flying so freely and taking in the fresh cool air of the sky. It was a wonder for Apple Bloom to marvel at, how far Scootaloo came and how grown up she was.

Her mind was slowly giving into calm and peace in her mission all the way to their destination. They both could see a gaping hole in the castle corner where a window would be found. Scootaloo picked up her speed and was able to smoothly drop Apple Bloom off on the edge of the window. Before she made a sharp turn to go in for her own soft landing from the flight. Apple Bloom was more than willing to wait, as Scootaloo touched down before her ever so gently and sighed.

"Thank you Rainbow… I couldn't have done this without you…"Scootaloo thanked the mare she considered her sister, believing that Rainbow Dash was watching over her from the skies.

Apple Bloom saw her matured friend, before Sweetie Belle had then appeared at their side. All it took was a flash of her own magic, something Sweetie once struggled with as a filly. But now she was a grown unicorn mare that was confident, very open minded, and a pro with using magic. Her magic was enough to match Twilight's former unicorn magic, thanks to her sister's new found encouragement. It was yet another wonder how far her friends had come since their time as children.

"We're all here… We shouldn't waste any more time… Our sisters deserve justice,"Sweetie Belle insisted as she was first to peer into the throne room that was before them,"Thank you Rarity… Your love… Your encouragement… It helped me to finally do something good for once rather than making just another mess…"

"There she is girls… Look at her…! Sitting on that there throne like a queen,"Apple Bloom almost spat as they all got a good look at Maul sleeping soundly on the throne like a baby,"Sleeping without a care in the world…! No remorse…! No guilt for what she did…!"

"She's pure evil and disharmony… I guess it's to be expected as much…"Scootaloo agreed and felt at peace with the opinion that verified what Maul was.

"Our sisters were murdered by this monster… And she killed them with a smile on her face…!"Sweetie didn't know whether to shed tears or express her deep anger for her sister's killer.

"Then lets do this… We won't let this wretched mare hurt any pony else…! We'll set Equestria free from her reign,"Apple Bloom wielded her kitchen knife, ready to jam it as many times as possible into Mauls face and chest,"Pay back time…! For our families…! You filthy murderous whorse…!"

Suddenly, before Sweetie and Scootaloo could suggest a strategy for this assassination. Apple Bloom simply jumped down from the hole and slammed down to the floor. Her knife gleamed off the moon light as she began grinding her hoof against the floor to prepare a charge. Maul appeared to still be undisturbed and slumbering peacefully, they couldn't have asked for a better chance. Apple Bloom then bolted for the throne, her friends jumped down and followed her from behind.

Thankfully they were quiet, since there were more Yang guards at the doors out of the throne room. Apple Bloom felt the rush of excitement and revenge within her grasp at last. She froze at the small four steps between her and the throne chair the mare of black slept on. Apple Bloom's hooves trembled with anger, but she needed to take the next few steps nice and easy. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle waited at the stairs while Apple Bloom took the longest four steps of her life.

"Over ten years…! Over ten years…! Since I found my sister and grand mother dead by your hooves,"Apple Bloom seethed as she took her four steps towards the vile dark mare,"A year ago my brother died from the grief you caused…! And now I'm all alone…! No family to be seen in my home…!"

Her friends felt their hearts sinking for this suspenseful and important moment. The moment that they were going to get justice for all the friends and family that died by Maul's hooves. They swallowed as Apple Bloom finally stood over Maul, as the dark mare kicked her hooves playfully.

"And now…! Your time has finally come. You're going to pay for everything you done,"Apple Bloom promised as she lifted her knife up and prepared to go stab happy on Maul,"Now die…! And never come back you monster!"

With that, she brought her knife down like a ceremonial sacrifice ritual. She had it all figured out, first she would stab the mare at least forty or so times, then she would cut out the heart. After that, she would show it to princess Twilight, and finally bring their princess of friendship back into the world. Her friends remained dead silent and trembling to see their friend about to take a life. However, they were about to get the harshest dose of reality they could possibly get in the moment.

Apple Bloom almost closed her eyes, but was stricken with deep shocking fear. As her knife slowly went completely through the chest of Maul, as if she went through a patch of fog. No blood was drawn and her hooves were poking right out of the dark mare's back like wings. It was like she had just tried to murder a ghost, and she was now learning that a ghost could not be touched. The fear only heightened as Maul's eyes suddenly snapped open and took in her surroundings.

Her eyes scanned quickly and all around the room, Sweetie and Scootaloo were first to be spotted. Her eyes blinked pure dark blue and black before her guards were alerted to their presence. They turned around with spears at the ready, while Maul then looked up to see Apple Bloom over her. Their eyes met for a solid moment, the lone Apple was transfixed with deep shock. Giving Maul more than enough time to start chuckling at Apple Bloom's failed attempt to kill her.

Apple Bloom's eyes twitched, her anger rising as Maul laughed so sadistic like. Clearly the mare of black remembered her, and she found her failed assassination amusing. Finally, the Apple's anger boiled over as she went try and stab at Maul again, this only amused the dark mare even more. She responded by putting her hoof to the disgruntled mare's chest and suddenly blasting a wave of force against her body. Launching Apple Bloom into the air, and slamming her into the ceiling.

Her friends wanted to go for their friend, seeing her crack the ceiling she slammed against. But their attempt to help was stopped by being put in sudden choke holds by the spears of the Yangs. They were held onto nice and tight, forced to watch as Apple Bloom slowly fell. She descended from the ceiling with grace, but was then tagged with a solid hook from Maul. She flew again, and skipped across the floor till she slammed head first against a solid stone pillar, her servants chuckled in kind.

"Apple Bloom!"Sweetie and Scootaloo exclaimed as their Apple friend tried to stand up with a shaky head and legs.

"Silly filly…! You're a mortal mare trying to kill an immortal bringer of true power,"Her lips did not move, but the dark voice echoed through the throne room as Maul giggled,"Your intentions were somewhat amusing, but you really should have just stayed home… And accepted your new life…! Foolish little Apple…!"

Apple Bloom shook her head, trying to shake off the daze she was experiencing. As the throne doors opened to let a group of Yangs with swords enter as reinforcements to detain the crusaders. Apple Bloom however did not want to accept defeat at the hooves of her family's killer.

"No! This is not where it ends…! I won't just let you survive after what you did!"Apple Bloom yelled as she stomped her hooves and screamed before charging at Maul again.

Maul raised her hoof to make her guards stand down, a humiliation was in order. So she gently stepped off her throne and decided to let Apple Bloom take her best shot. However there was no getting a shot in, as Apple Bloom started swinging hard hooves and her blade around. Only for her attacks to once again pass through the foe like she was fighting a ghost. Maul kept on giggling as she decided to jump and dance with Apple Bloom around the room, testing out just how far her fury went.

After over a dozen swings, Maul decided to tease the Apple by ducking under the last big hoof. Allowing Apple Bloom to furiously punch and shattered a stone column with all her Apple strength. Maul in the mean time danced to Apple Bloom's side and reared back for a buck. One that rattled the Apple's ribs and took the breath out of her before she hit the floor. But Apple Bloom's anger numbed the pain as she rolled to her hooves and charged at Maul again.

She screamed with vengeance as she began wildly slashing and swinging again. And the same result occurred in turn, they were simply passing through a mare created from pure disharmony. Maul sighed as her amusement began to drain from the pointless fighting. She decided to end it with a three part combo, a jaw cracking hook, a kick that knocked out the front hooves, and a downward punch in the back. This combo crushed Apple Bloom to the floor, forcing her to lay at the mare's hooves.

"Apple Bloom…! Please, leave her out of this! She was only doing what she thought was right!"Sweetie begged for mercy, showing that she forgot how unmerciful Maul was.

"That's the problem…! She's spoiling my fun for a family she couldn't save. It's…annoying,"Maul responded as she surrounded Apple Bloom's neck with magic and slowly lifted her up,"But… I have the perfect punishment for that… And for that…! None of you will die…!"

"You can torture us all you want…! We don't have anything to lose…! You can torment us till death all you want,"Scootaloo decided to be brave, only to get punched in the gut and forced to her belly,"Scum…!"

"No… Even torture and death is too good for you trouble makers! You'll just reunite with your families,"Maul giggled as Apple Bloom struggled against her magic,"I'm thinking… A curse of immortality. You mares will live till the end of life in Equestria…! Never able to die…! You'll forever be alone in this world! Only able to watch new and old friends die by my hooves…!"

"No…! You wretch! I'll kill you for what you've done!"Apple Bloom screamed with wrath as Maul finally exploded with wild and vile laughter.

"I know you Apples aren't too bright…! But I would think that you'd realize by now that you can't kill me,"Maul taunted as her forehead glowed with blue magic tingling with black static,"But I don't need you and your friends making more trouble for all eternity. Fighters like you are quite annoying…!"

"What more can you do to us that you haven't already done?!"Sweetie answered before Maul answered with a blast of magic striking and surrounding a screaming Apple Bloom.

"Hmmm I'm thinking… Perhaps make you little mares into a trio of dry… Wrinkly… Fragile old HAGS!"Maul decided as smaller beams of magic blasted from Apple Bloom and struck her friends.

"NOOOOOO! No, NO! Maul you bucking animal…! Curse YOOOOOOUUUU!"Apple Bloom and her friends screamed as they slowly began changing to the old ladies that first greeted Blank.

"I'm afraid… You are the ones that are cursed now…!"Maul joked and laughed as she completed her curse upon the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

" _And so… For fifty years me and my friends remained as old and weak mares,"_ Apple Bloom concluded her story in tears as she brought herself back to reality," _My hunger for revenge caused me and my friends to be cursed…! Never able to die, and always fragile to abuse at the hooves of the Yangs."_

* * *

Apple Bloom no longer wanted to hold back tears and remain a strong Apple. Her hooves remained on Twilight's shoulders, trying not to tremble as she decided to rub them. Twilight's head was lowered as she felt the grief of what she did coming back to her hard. Apple Bloom gently squeezed her shoulders and rested her chin on the princess for a moment. Before she finally manage to smile, now that she believed that there was now hope for Equestria's future.

"But now you came back…! With a mare of white with a curious heart of gold,"Apple Bloom whispered and hugged Twilight as she sniffled to control her tears,"And now…! You and her can bring back harmony, and get justice for every pony she wronged…! You And Blank…! Are Equestria's future."

She then gestured to Blank as she at long last was finished with her make over. Sweetie and Scootaloo both moved out of the way to show off the magic they performed on Blank. The mare of white was barely recognizable, for she wore an ice blue dress with matching Greek sandal styled horse shoes. The chest of her dress had very light rainbow colored flowers that reflected like crystals. While white lining went down the sides of her dress, starting at her puffy ball shaped shoulder pads.

The long skirt of her dress was sparkling with baby blue sapphires and was mildly thick. Much like the bun and pony tail mane with curls all over the top and sides of her mane. Her tail was nicely curled and swirled at the very tip of her tail, her style looked fashionable, but not too much. Blank dared to make a majestic pose to let her dress shine in the sparkly sunlight. Letting the mares all give their honest opinion on her outfit.

"Blank… You look… Beautiful…! How does it feel to look pretty after being born in a cave?"Twilight complimented and joked with the mare of white, and was rewarded with blush and silent giggles from the mare.

"You think she looks good? You should see the designs we have ready for you, Twilight,"Sweetie Belle hinted before the girls then approached Twilight with the same fashion intentions,"Come on girls, we got a princess to prepare for the party!"

 _ **Next will be the party itself, I'm gad you were all patient with me while I was dealing with personal stuff. Like I said before there may be more to come later, I'm not sure yet. But I hope all you lovely readers are enjoying yourselves. Please enjoy, and stay pony every one.**_


	15. Chapter 14:A Pinkie Pie Party

Chapter 14:A Pinkie Pie Party

The night had come at long last, and the citizens of Ponyville were now converging. Every pony was running and gathering around the Rainbow castle, the home of their returning princess of friendship. Now they all needed to come together to rekindle the spirit of friendship. To do that, something important had to be done to bring every pony in town together in a time of friendship. The only way to do that was quite simple as a matter of fact, throw a high spirit party.

A party would gather all the ponies of Ponyville and reassociate with their princess. Once their friendships with her were rekindled, her spirit and magic of friendship could return to them. And harmony would at last be restored to fight the evils of Maul, the mare of disharmony. But there was unrest among the ponies, fear of the Yangs and their sadistic mistress still remained. And with a fragile princess of friendship, there was no guaranteeing that victory was possible against Maul.

However, the moment the doors open, they could feel a wave of positive magic all around them. Just before Celestia and Luna walked out to greet the crowd of ponies both poor and wealthy. No pony would be ignored no matter what they were, poor, wealthy, weak or strong did not matter. This celebration was about the ponies coming together in a show of friendship and harmony. And the princesses needed to make this party everything it had to be, for the sake of Twilight.

"Greetings, my little ponies! It's been a long time since me and my sister got to stand before all of you,"Celestia decided to greet and express her joy to finally be among the Ponyville ponies once again,"Fifty years of oppression and pain… Yet… You all stand strong and brave in the face of pure evil. It pains us to see how much you have all suffered through the years…!"

"But such a time is now over! Harmony is returning, and the time to stop this darkness is at hoof,"Luna backed up her sister and went for a spirit lifting speech,"Twilight and ourselves have returned to you. And we will help heal the wounds you have all endured for so long! And tonight, we get to mend those wounds."

"That is what this party is all about! Coming together and mending the old wounds,"Celestia and Luna slowly separated to make a path for the ponies to walk into the castle,"This is a party for all of you to enjoy! Together let us embrace friendships of old and new with princess Twilight. Let us heal as one and grow the courage to face off against the mare of black!"

"Please enter…! And enjoy this night every pony!"Luna announced before the ponies began walking into the castle, they were quiet, but they appeared to be a lit with spirit and happiness.

Meanwhile, within the main room that always served as a party room for the castle. Twilight was just now finishing up the streamers and decorations while twirling around in a new dress. To add an iconic form to the dress, she wore her very old element of magic crown on her head. It sparkled and went nicely with a dark purple dress that matched her manes primary color. It was laced but very fluffy looking, plenty of fluff underneath the skirt to keep Twilight warm while a ribbon on the chest topped it off.

Three pink stripes, much like the pink streak in her mane went down the center and sides of her dress. While it sparkled like stars in the sky, thanks to some carefully applied glitter. The outfit was concluded with Twilight simply wearing her old ice blue horse shoes that mimicked a streak of stars. Even with a slightly larger dress, the shoes could be seen right at the very bottoms of her dress. Thankfully the dress was easy to move in, so Twilight had no worries about ruining it as she blasted magic into the ceiling.

This caused a star like sky to appear all over the ceiling, showing the average behavior of life among the stars. It looked much like the sky she saw in the realm she stood in the day she became an Alicorn. Twilight sighed, knowing that this party was going to be something truly special. That is, if the party can go nice and smoothly, and that meant no trouble or disasters. She looked around to the ponies and dragon working around her, like Spike's wall candles that were lit with a vivid incense.

He seemed to take much pride in the incense candles, since they were a new thing Rarity was getting into before her passing. Every candle was handled with gentle care, the kind that was thought to be unheard of from a dragon. When he wasn't working on the candles. He was simply dusting off a strange and old music system, a DJ station that was famously used by Pinkie Pie herself. At least, when their old DJ Pone3, Vinyl Scratch wasn't constantly wubbing on it.

She then quickly looked to two old faces she knew from when they were tiny new faces. The glorious twins, the chocolate haired creamy vanilla Pegasus stallion, Pound Cake. As well as his twin sister and unicorn, Pumpkin Cake, the orange haired mare, together they ran their parent's business. Along with their son and nephew, Toffee Cake, a coffee colored Pegasus stallion. His caramel colored mane was much like his father Pound Cake's style, only longer and not giving into the gray color of age.

"The desserts look wonderful Cakes…! Feels good to finally be baking again, don't you think?"Twilight decided to walk over and make conversation with the twins.

"You have no idea, Twilight. This catering service was just what we needed to get our parent's business going again,"Pound Cake took a break from one of his three special cakes he was perfecting,"Nothing could keep the business going without our folks magic touch, and Pinkie Pie's ability to make every pony smile."

"We missed that…! So we were more than happy to finally bring a party back to life for the sake of our folks, and Pinkie Pie…!"Pumpkin Cake admitted, sounding a little sad as she put the finishing touches on some strawberry shortcakes.

"You forgot the fresh straw berries, Aunt Pumpkin Cake…!"The young stallion, Toffee Cake rushed over and started filling the shortcakes with sugared strawberries caked in their sauced juices.

"Oh…! Thank you, Toffee. These eyes don't work like they use to these days…!"Pumpkin laughed off her little mistake and got the whip cream out to finish up the shortcakes.

"Son? You mind checking up on that sweet and flavorlicious punch of yours?"Pound Cake asked of his son while he began to put a glaze of white icing over some sugar cookies.

"No problem, dad…! Glad to hear my punch is to your liking."The son chuckled and rushed over to the far end of a long table to work on his fruity punch.

He had regular pineapples, grapes, cherries and orange slices in the red drink. Adding a mix of many different fruity flavors before he then added a couple spoon fulls of sugar. Adding the one last bit of sweetness it needed before the punch was ready to be served to many ponies. However he had then just realized that there were going to be a lot of ponies at this party. He was going to need at least another big punch bowl so there was plenty of punch for every pony to enjoy.

However, he then got side tracked by a sudden and enchanting sight. They all heard the start up of the stereos belonging to the DJ booth, and all they got at first was some static and wubs. But that was when Blank decided to give the station a try and work with the records to get something going. This allowed the young stallion to become enticed and stricken with sudden feelings. His heart felt like floodgates that were opening up, it pulsed and grew warmer with each heart beat.

He dropped a ladle back into the bowl of punch to grip at his stomach. For he felt it churning and fluttering as if there were butterflies flocking about from within his body. The way the smiling white mare swung her mane while trying to play with the different forms of music in the booth. Her eyes were pure white, but they looked to be so full of life and enchanting thoughts. Her very smile was making him weak in the legs, he swallowed, and instantly felt ready to buckle.

"Princess Twilight? Is that… The mare of white?"Toffee slowly pointed to Blank as she finally got a slow jazz song playing on the DJ booth.

"Huh…? Oh! You mean, Blank Slate? Yeah that's her. First time seeing her?"Twilight replied and followed up with a question before seeing the young stallion blush.

"Yeah…! She's… She's a lot more beautiful than she sounded in the stories,"The young stallion admitted as she hopped down from the DJ booth and dusted her pretty dress off,"Wh…what's she like?"

"She's nice…! Very open minded and very curious about…pretty much everything,"Twilight finally couldn't help but take notice and fascination in the stallion's behavior,"She's a mute… But I'm sure she would like some pony to dance with her if you're up for it…"

"You really think she'll have me…! I mean…! She must be busy or somet-"Twilight stopped the young Cake from getting too frazzled and nervous about the white mare.

"Go ahead, don't be nervous…! This would be her first real experience meeting a friendly stallion,"Twilight insisted and gave the young stallion a nudge towards Blank,"Just be confident and welcoming to her. She'll like you for sure…!"

With a little push towards the white mare, the stallion swallowed his fear. Before he then slowly began to approach the mare of white, her smile was making his legs want to give out. But they still carried him closer to Blank, Spike slowly took notice of the Cake's sudden approach to the mare. Twilight was quick to stop the dragon from questioning the moment that was occurring. She shushed up Spike and simply watched as Toffee finally stood right behind the mare of white.

"Uh…excuse me…? Can I…have as moment of your time?"Toffee politely asked as Blank's ears perked up to the gentle request of a nervous sounding stallion.

"Heads up, Blank. You got an admirer right behind you!"Applejack's voice warned the white mare as she tilted her head to the voices call out.

"Applejack…! We didn't think about this! We weren't prepared for the chance a stallion would be into her!"Rainbow Dash echoed in the mare's head as she slowly turned around to meet the Cake.

"Lets just let it all play out…! A little romance wouldn't be too much trouble."Rarity tried to be the reasonable voice and more open to Blank experiencing an interesting stallion.

"Hi…! Uh…it's a pleasure to meet you at long last…! I mean… The popular mare of white as I live and breath,"Blank responded to the stallion's greeting with a small smile and a friendly wave,"Uh…! I uh…! I gotta say, you are…much more beautiful in person than just from stories…!"

Blank once again blushed with being called such kind things by other ponies. This once again triggered a new system of emotions she had yet to experience since she came to be. She looked away and held onto her blush, while Toffee panicked at the thought that he came on too strong.

"Oh! I'm sorry! That was too much…! I just…couldn't help but notice you and… Well… I just could not help but,"Toffee stuttered and tried to find the right words to say to make the situation better,"I can… Just go… I'm sorry if I wasted your time… Blank… I'll just…go get another bowl of punch ready."

Blank suddenly felt shocked to see the stallion shoot himself down as he did. He quietly chuckled nervously and turned away to hide his face, not wanting to embarrass himself any further. Only for Blank to shrug and take up his hoof and turn him around, causing the stallion to freeze in place and blush. While she simply let her smile grow in full and once again cause the stallion's heart to go crazy. She was actually wanting to give him a chance even after how badly he faltered.

"I uh… I was just…hoping that… Maybe if you aren't too busy… Would you,"The Cake struggled to spill out his offer as he became almost hypnotized by Blank's white and sparkling eyes,"Would you… Like to share a dance with me? Ms Blank?"

Blank looked to the stallion as he offered a hoof to her in hopes of being her partner for the night. Blank never lost her blush or the confusing feelings that swam through her heart and mind. But with how warm it made her heart, she didn't want these new feelings to disappear. So she simply held his hoof tight and let him gaze upon her eyes, feeling his heart on the urge of exploding. But the moment could not last, for the ponies of Ponyville had then began to arrive into the party room.

The doors were slow to open, for they brought in quite the massive crowd of ponies. So many ponies slowly began to flood into the room, and it was just the thing that would wake Toffee up from his day dreaming. He shook his head, realizing that he was slacking on the punch he needed to prepare.

"Oh my gosh! I forgot about the second bowl of punch! Uh…I gotta go real quick, Blank,"Toffee apologized and quickly raced off to the kitchen to prepare some punch,"I promise I'll be back really soon! Won't be but a couple minutes!"

Blank simply gave the young stallion a friendly wave as he ran off into the kitchen. Before she took in the whole crowd that was entering, it appeared as if the whole town was in on this party. This had the influence of the royal sisters all over it, but this only meant the more the merrier for them.

"Blank…! I didn't think about this at all! I didn't think about what I was going to say to them,"Twilight suddenly rushed over to Blank in a panic over some sort of trouble,"They're going to expect a speech, Blank! They're gonna want something to help get them into the spirit of the party!"

Blank replied by sighing and pushing Twilight towards the center of the room. She then whistled to Spike and pointed to the spot light above the DJ booth, he already knew what Blank was thinking. As he rushed to the spot lights and jumped on them to readjust the lights to the floor. Till the spot lights all moved right over Twilight, allowing the crowd to turn their attention to her. Silence had then filled the room, as Blank pressed her hoof to Twilight's chest and closed her eyes.

"Just tell them what they need to hear, partner! They'll be happy just to see you smiling and sharing words with them!"Applejack's voice suddenly echoed through Twilight's head with full encouragement.

"Just what ever you do…! Don't forget to tell them to party like they've never partied before!"Pinkie Pie shouted with excitement and giggles for parties making their return.

"Right…! Right, right, right…! Just… Talk to them…! Just make them want to party,"Twilight repeated to herself before turning around to see the crowd gathered right in front of her,"Uh… Hi! Uh…it's…good to see you all here on this momentous night…! I'm happy you all came!"

Blank slowly stood next to Twilight and waved to all the invited guests. Even when they all simply stood before them in silence, hoping to hear the good words from the princess of friendship. Twilight swallowed, nervous to speak any normal friendly words to a crowd as wounded from the past as her.

"Well… Let me just say, it's…really good to have you all here on this night. All of this was possible thanks to my friends you see before me,"Twilight gestured to Blank, Spike, and the family of Cake's for their kind assistance in creating this party,"This party was inspired by… My old friend, Pinkie Pie. A mare that never forgot to smile and make people laugh, and when she wasn't doing that. She was throwing incredible parties that brought old friends, and new friends together…!"

"Awe… Thank you, Twilight…!"Pinkie spoke softly and emotionally to hear her friend still remembering her parties.

"So now…! I want this party to do for all of you what my friend's parties did so long ago,"Twilight admitted her desire to rekindle new and old friendships among the ponies,"Let us throw down our fear and embrace each other as friends. For the sake of my friends that would gladly give their lives up a second time… For each and every one of you."

The crowd was now enthralled by the princess's love and affection for them and her friend. Especially the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who stood in the front of the crowd in tears. Thinking about their sisters still being among them to celebrate this Resurrection and rise of harmony.

"We have a long night to play, talk, eat and dance together as friends,"Twilight raised her hooves to spiritually take in and give back the pure love of friendship with the ponies,"I want you all to have the most fun you could ever have, and know that I… LOVE every one of you for coming here. From this night on…! You're all my friends! And I want to spend time with each and every one of you!"

"So how about we get this Pinkie party started, every pony?!"Spike announced and turned up the music as it played a more festive and excitable tune.

 _ **(Still I Fly, Spencer Lee)**_

With the music playing, the crowd finally began to cheer and spread out through the room. Many of them flocked to Twilight and Blank, wanting to shower them with praise and wishes. Some went over to the desserts that were just finally finished right on time, just as Toffee returned with a second big bowl of punch. Other ponies were going to the dance floor, where they could talk and dance together. It was looking like a dream come true, the spirit of the ponies were immediately starting to return.

"This is perfect…! They're all dancing, and laughing, and enjoying the party,"Twilight exclaimed as she shook a young mare's hoof and held it to give a bit of friendship to the mare,"Please… Let this night be perfect…! Let friendship finally return in full…!"

"Excuse me…? Can I borrow your friend, your majesty?"Suddenly, Toffee stood before the two mares and the crowd in hopes of keeping a promise to Blank.

"Oh…! Yes of course! Blank…?"Twilight looked to Blank, and the mare of white wasted no time approaching the young Cake.

Toffee only needed several seconds before he was already getting weak in the legs. Slowly he offered a hoof to the white mare, and she tilted her head in response to figure out what he was doing. She then decided to mimic what he was doing and slowly reach out a hoof to him. The stallion took up her soft white hoof, while his own was trembling and threatening to get sweaty. He looked around and cleared his throat before looking to the dance floor for only a moment.

"Shall we? Ms Blank Slate?"Toffee asked as he gulped and felt the mare of white tighten her grip around his hoof.

She then gave him a quiet nod and a look over to the dance floor. He then chuckled and nodded back, wanting to be the gentlecolt and treat the mare of white to her very first dance. So he finally let go of his fear and took Blank to the dance floor to give Blank her first taste of dancing, and love.

 _ **Yeah, a potential relationship is getting mixed into this story. I feel it's just the perfect bit of emotional pull that's needed for the ending I have in mind for this story. What is that ending idea? Stay tune and find out. Stay pony every one.**_


	16. Chapter 15: A Pinkie Party Crasher

Chapter 15: A Pinkie Party Crasher

The night was still young, and so was the flashy and high spirited party at the rainbow castle. The whole town of Ponyville was dancing, eating, and kindling with friends and family. While others got their turns meeting and speaking with Twilight, hoping to learn a story or two from the old days. Spike was currently over watching the all the ponies as the honorable security of the castle. He kept his eyes peeled, for such a harmonic and high spirited party would prove enraging for Maul.

He did not want to lose any sort of focus in his job of keeping every pony safe. However this was not the dragon that many remembered fifty years ago, he was so different back then. These were the thoughts going through the mind of Sweetie Belle as she watched him standing in a corner like a soldier. Her and the other crusaders remembered a time when he was just this tiny pudgy looking baby dragon. He was always there to help others and be a humble little helper to Twilight.

Now as the pink and purple maned unicorn stood there watching him from the dance floor. She felt kind of sad to Spike so grown up and hardened to an actual guard and fighter. She missed the old Spike, the one that smiled and almost wadded when he walked or ran anywhere. She let out a sigh, the memories that flooded her mind, only to be crushed by the vision of reality before her. If only Rarity were still here to revive the happiness and love that fluttered in his dragon heart.

"Why don't you see if he'd like to take a breather and dance a little bit with ya?"Apple Bloom decided to once again be the crusader that had a plan to help others with their problems.

"I don't know… He's so different now. Without Rarity, he seems like he's got a heart of stone now,"Sweetie explained her doubts while they watched Spike stamping his foot in silence,"I miss the old Spike…"

"Then go up there and bring the old Spike back out…! You won't help him if you're just standing around here,"Scootaloo insisted and suddenly gave Sweetie a little push towards the dragon,"Go on…! Ask him to dance or something…!"

Sweetie scoffed at her friend's insistence and pushy attitude towards the dragon. Yet she was kind of glad they pushed her into going to him, for it was starting to be too much to watch Spike stand so quietly by himself. So she calmly walked through the rest of the crowd that surrounded her. Gently nudging through all the loving ponies that were so full of friendship and she managed to squeeze through the rest of them and stumble right before the dragon that was kind enough to catch her.

"You alright? Look like a tight fit there."Spike checked on Sweetie Belle while slowly helping her stand back up and brushing her off.

"Yeah…! Every pony is in the spirit. Well… Almost every pony."Sweetie Belle chuckled and looked up to the tall dragon as he stood firm and lightly smiled.

"What? Is there some pony being a little sour at this party?"Spike asked while looking around for any salty or grouchy ponies that were not embracing harmony.

"No… Not exactly sour, just… Distant. He's not the dragon he use to be."Sweetie Belle explained while Spike only lifted an eye brow to the mention of a dragon in the castle.

"There's…another dragon in the castle? How is that possible?"Spike responded with confusion, Sweetie could not help but laugh at his memorable obliviousness.

"No…! I'm talking about you…! You're the one that doesn't look like he's in the spirit."Sweetie Belle had to clarify so that there was no more confusion.

"Oh! Oh…!"Spike turned away immediately and looked out the window to see the town illuminated with street lights.

Sweetie had him made out, but that only meant trouble for him at this time. What she was saying was true, and what she was most likely going to do was open up the wounds of old. And of all ponies to talk with him about the past, it had to be the sister of the mare that he felt true love for.

"I was getting worried for you, Spike. You're not the dragon I remembered,"Sweetie Belle began to let out her feelings regarding the changed dragon,"I remembered a baby dragon that was always running around, getting in trouble like we did. Writing letters for Twilight and assisting her without any delay! You were such a happy little friend to every pony…!"

"That was before Maul… Before everything was taken away…"Spike responded and sighed as he slowly trailed his stares over to the boutique of Rarity.

"You're talking about Rarity, right? It was no mystery that you had the biggest crush on her."Sweetie Belle incited, and Spike turned away before pulling out the heart shaped fire ruby from his spikes.

"Yeah… I know I was too young… But I felt it was meant to be…"Spike looked deep into the ruby at the now grown up dragon he now was, the dragon that perhaps could now be ready to profess his feelings.

"If she was here right now, she'd be happy to see how far you've come."Sweetie tried to sweeten the conversation a bit while Spike only sighed.

"Too late now… Old enough to be with her and she's gone now… Thanks Maul…!"He clutched the fire ruby tightly and remembered the nasty laughter of Maul.

Sweetie Belle inched a little closer to the dragon, knowing that his heart deeply ached. But he was trying to suppress it, something Spike was also not known for doing in the past. So she wasn't going to let him hold in and remain a stern dragon with a broken heart turned to stone. So she wrapped a hoof around his arm and laid her head next to his shoulder to offer comfort. He sighed, and manage to calm himself down before registering Sweetie Belle being so loving so suddenly.

"Come dance with me…"Sweetie Belle decided to simply go for it and invite Spike to a chance at smiling and having fun for a change.

"What…?"Spike replied to her sudden offer.

"Just let this all go for a bit… Being all stern and tough and bottled up for a change,"Sweetie Belle insisted that Spike take a moment to relax and enjoy the party,"Let it all go, and dance with me… Please?"

"But… I need to watch over the town in case Maul and her Yangs show up…!"Spike insisted that he needed to remain on guard, but Sweetie Belle was not going to let him remain alone in a corner.

She simply took up his claw and started pulling him to the dance floor, desperate to help his broken heart. He wanted to resist, but he was already pulled into the spot light with many others. Where Sweetie then hugged him and started to try and dance with him to the music.

"Sweetie…! I gotta get back to watching over the town…! I can't-"Spike objected to being forced to dance, only to be shushed and have one claw placed to her side.

"Shhh… Just dance… And let it all go…"She insisted while holding his claw to her side and starting to dance.

"I…shouldn't be doing this…! Why are you being so pushy?"Spike questioned while having no choice but to slow dance with Sweetie Belle.

"Because… I miss the old Spike… And I'd like to spend just a little bit of time with him."Sweetie Belle insisted while laying her head on his chest and sighing with comfort.

He choked on his next few words he wanted to say after hearing her plea. He began to calmly breath and relax, understanding the affectionate side of his crush's spirited little sister. Slowly he no longer objected to her wishes, and closed his eyes, letting one tear flow down the side of his face. With one more sigh, he hugged her, and rested his chin on her head to offer some comfort of his own. She nuzzled against his chest, feeling the warmth that still resided in his heart.

This was a beautiful sight to behold for Twilight and her fellow princesses. As they all sat by the food and drink stands full of punches and sweet desserts, crafted by the Cake twins. Celestia was enjoying herself a large piece of triple chocolate dutch cake while Luna only ate sugar cookies. While Twilight only drank a bit of punch and one strawberry short cake with whipped cream. This night was starting to look like a night to remember, the good memories of old were flooding back.

"It's heart warming to see Spike indulging in the festivities. His new found maturity was starting to feel… A little sad."Luna admitted that Spike being grown up was a bit more sad than impressive.

"Indeed… I remember the marvelous misadventures that dragon got into as a baby,"Celestia became a bit day dreamy as she thought of the old times with Twilight and Spike,"He started out as that adorable dragon you hatched from and egg. Now look at him…"

"Yeah… He's needed this for a very long time. Just one chance to be happy and have fun again,"Twilight sighed and watched her baby dragon all grown up and dancing with a mare,"If only I could give that all back to him. To let him be that adventurous little dragon he once was so long ago…"

"Once Maul is gone… Maybe he can, so long as you are sure to never give up again."Celestia incited the one thing that just may assure a brighter future for her and Spike.

"This is a chance to bury your bad past and clear away this evil for a brighter future,"Luna added while starring back to the music changes that were being done by Blank Slate herself,"A future that your new friend will help to carve once she has fully grown as a pony."

"That might be a while yet…! She's kind of like a child, kind of…like Maul,"Twilight's newest view on Blank got her some concerned looks from the royal sisters,"But… All Blank seems to want to do is nice and good things for others. She's not selfish, she's honest about what she does, she's loyal, she helped throw a great party, she's generous and helpful, She's…"

"A lot like your friends?"Celestia asked as Blank finally got a new song started for every pony to listen and dance to.

 _ **(Simple And Clean, Kingdom Hearts)**_

"Yeah… She is… She's everything they were to me, and I'm never going to let this friend go again."Twilight admitted and sighed as Blank walked down from the DJ booth to meet with her newest friend, Toffee Cake.

"That sounds pretty good…! Didn't think equipment that old could play so well,"Toffee admitted with how the old DJ booth was performing as a nodding Blank walked down from the booth,"How did you know how that old booth worked?"

Blank only responded with a little shrug of her shoulders, he chuckled in response. That seem to be her answer to everything she was able to do, it only added to the mystery of Blank. Something that some how only made her so much more fascinating and majestic to his dreamy eyes. She had to wave at him to snap the stallion out of his dreaming state and back into reality. He shook his head to come to from his day dreaming, only to now be nervous to see her concerned yet still lovely white eyes looking at him.

"Oh…! Uh…sorry about that…! Just got a little distracted there for a moment."Toffee chuckled and Blank tilted her head at his nervousness, it was becoming a common thing for him.

"This fella is more nervous than a pet going to the vet for the first time…!"Applejack sounded off in Blank's head while she placed a hoof on his chest.

"Oh…! Sorry, I kind of got weird there again. It's just you… You're really talented,"She responded to him by getting closer and pointing to the dance floor,"Oh right! Why don't we…go to the floor and continue dancing?"

Blank nodded once again and flashed a cute smile that nearly melted his stomach with butterflies. She took his hoof and dragged his dreaming self down to the dance floor alongside Sweetie and Spike. She then began to dance with Toffee, while he swallowed and tried not to get nervous. He was actually dancing and spending a moment with the mare of white, and she was liking him. It only got sweeter when she slowly rested her head on his chest and wrapped a hoof around him.

His face could not be any more red even with a full bottle of hot sauce to help. He rested his chin on her shoulder and put a hoof around her as well, She moved her head slowly, brushing her cheek against his. He swallowed again, trying to maybe keep the conversation going again.

"Come on now, Toffee… Don't be nervous… She's all for you to be open…!"Rarity whispered out from Blank and barely got to the ears of Toffee.

"Huh…? I mean… Uh… I hope you're having a good time, Blank,"Toffee broke the ice again while Blank only let her smile grow some more,"I mean, I'm having a good time with you. So far you've been everything they've said you are, and… A bit more…"

This got Blank to look back up to Toffee with the same heart melting smile. It was like his weakness, but now with this one bit of courage he was able to muster before her. He was determined to know this mare and pour out his feelings that instantly went up like flames from within.

"I know this is sudden and a bit weird coming from a stallion that works at a bakery,"Toffee decided to slowly start talking about his feelings to the curious mare,"But the minute I saw you…! You just looked so…special…! And no matter what appeared to be happening here… You never forgot to smile…"

"Awe… he's dying to just pour it all out…! Go on Toffee, let it out!"Pinkie squeaked from within Blank with excitement.

"And that smile… Is the most beautiful smile I have ever seen in the longest time,"Toffee admitted while Blank's eyes sparkled and dared to make him falter,"And your eyes…! They're so friendly and sparkly. It's like I'm seeing how beautiful you are on the inside, as well as the outside…!"

Blank tilted her head, and did not stop smiling at him as he poured out his feelings. She then started to blush and look away for a moment, trying to contemplate the new warm feelings flowing through her. She felt an urge to giggle, which nearly ended Toffee's burst of courage.

"Uh… So… I want to say… I like you…! A lot…! And I know this world is very new to you yet, but,"Toffee tried to now back it down instead of giving in to completely heated passion to show some patience and control,"I'm…more than happy to help you learn about Equestria, and everything there is to know about it…! So… Maybe you can call this place your home one day and-"

Blank manage to let out a slight giggle before placing a hoof to Toffee's lips. He was brave to finally get his feelings out in the open, now she was no longer going to let him buckle. So she slowly lowered her hoof from his silenced lips and moved her head towards his own. She gently placed her forehead against his own, and he immediately froze with panic. His eyes were right across from hers, and his legs were shaking like crazy as he stared deep into her eyes.

He started to breath heavy as the music began to end at long last. In that moment, he could not help but lean forward a bit more as Blank blushed some more and went to indulge. As she too began to lean forward and try a bit of the strange behavior he was currently doing. He swallowed, and then he puckered his lips, striking Blank's curiosity and interest in these strange feelings. She did the same and leaned closer to the point that their lips were going to make contact.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Ok, this is too much! Back out, back out!"Rainbow Dash suddenly echoed in a panic.

"Oh let them go, Rainbow!"Rarity argued from within.

"We're suppose to stop Maul! Not indulge in fairy tale like romance!"Rainbow argued about the priorities they had.

"Too late! They're going in!"Applejack warned as their lips were about to touch together.

Suddenly, the moment was interrupted by the sudden explosion of a window and wall occurred. Toffee immediately reacted by holding Blank and using his body for cover while getting her to the floor. While all the other ponies dropped to the floor on their own and screamed in fear. Spike simply used his own body as a shield against the rubble and glass to protect Sweetie Belle. Twilight and the royal sisters could only stare in awe and fear from the sudden disaster.

It was then that the cause of the explosion showed herself through the rubble and dust. She panted and seethed with pure anger and sensitive sanity, letting the hole she made in the castle continue to crumble. The mare of black stood there, looking at all the terrified faces that stayed on the floor. She then looked to Twilight, allowing Celestia and Luna to get their first look at the enemy they were facing. Leaving Spike and Blank to look to Maul, knowing that there was a whole lot of Tartarus coming their way.

 _ **Sorry for that cliff hanger, and after that romantic climax, I know. But there's more to come, plus I plan on showing a bit more about what happened in the past. So if you're sensitive about the five members of the mane six meeting a tragic ending, be wary. Stay pony every one.**_


	17. Chapter 16: The Mother Of Disharmony

Chapter 16: The Mother Of Disharmony

"MOTHER! This celebration must be stopped! It…is…OVER!"Maul's voice boomed around the castle as she blasted out half the lights around the party.

Twilight and the royal sisters witnessed the arrival of Maul, the mare of black. As she decided to crash this celebration to disrupt harmony before it could fully return to the town. This gave Celestia and Luna their very first look at the dark mare and witness her unforgiving powers. They could indeed feel the darkness and disharmony that surrounded this mare, it made their skin crawl. Especially as her icy cold stare looked to the faces of all the terrified ponies that looked to her.

Spike put Sweetie Belle behind him while Toffee Cake helped Blank to her hooves. She was ready to throw down with Maul, but Toffee surprised her by mimicking Spike's actions. Putting the mare of white behind him while daring to defend against Maul, these actions displeased her.

"You're all specs of dust under my hooves! Look at all your terrified faces,"Maul yelled and mocked the fear she could feel from the ponies around her,"And just moments ago you were all spitting in my face and thinking that I could not hurt you!"

"Don't worry… I'm not afraid any more…"Toffee whispered while trying his best to block Blank off from Maul.

"So where did all that bravery go, every pony? I'll tell you where it went,"Maul threatened as she let a ball of black fire grow in her hoof as she aimed for the window curtains,"It all came to me… Just so it could die…!"

"Don't you even think about it, MAUL!"Twilight was quick to call out Maul and stop her actions cold with a stern tone.

The mare of black stopped her magic called and looked to the princess of friendship. She approached the dark mare slowly, as Maul shook her head at being talked down to. For years this harmony bringing princess had given so much to her, and now she was fighting Maul. This was something she did not understand, it was causing her stomach to boil inside with anger. Especially after all the years that Twilight once stood as not only a provider, but as her parent from the day she was made.

"Why…? Why do you do this to me? Why mother…!?"Maul suddenly began to gripe and walk towards Twilight in a pitiful manner.

"Because you're out of control! It's been that way for fifty years! Fifty LONG years,"Twilight got closer to the dark mare and spoke to her with much pent up disappointment,"You took away my friends! You've stolen from me, cursed the friends I had left. And murdered harmony itself. And all I ever did was try to be a mother for you! My creation! MY own child!"

"Then why do you act as if I mean NOTHING to you!?"Maul demanded an answer after so many years that Twilight remained silent to her.

"Because all you ever did was take! I offered you guidance, food, water, everything you could ever want,"Twilight yelled right back as they met face to face for a show down,"And even then, it was never enough! All you ever wanted was MORE!"

"I need more! IT'S JUST THE WAY I AM! CAN YOU NOT ACCEPT THAT?!"Maul roared and made the walls creak and crack from her chaotic darkness.

"No…! Not after everything you've done…! Not after everything you took from us!"Twilight defiantly stood her ground while Spike was sneaking his way up to Maul.

"You are my mother…! And I will not let you…! Or any pony shut me out!"Maul growled and let a nightmarish fog surround her mane before a dark arrow of magic shot from it.

Thankfully a gold and blue sphere of magic surrounded Twilight and completed incinerated the arrow. As Twilight flinched, and Spike went in with both fists and managed to crush them into Maul's back. Causing her to get drilled into the ground under the pure strength of the dragon. While Twilight looked to see Celestia and Luna coming to her aid at the last moment. They released their magic and stood at her side as Spike grabbed at the dark mare's neck.

Only for Maul to scream and send a wave of dark fog in every direction. Causing Spike to be launched towards the ceiling, and slowly plummet down and through a table. Sending cakes and punch bowls flying in all directions, leaving the dragon coated in icing. She quickly got up, letting the dragon clawed marks on her neck disappear in a fog of black smoke. She growled, only to feel magic growing in her back while Spike slowly arose to his feet and wiped himself off.

"MAUL!"Twilight yelled as her and the royal sisters took aim at Maul, and fired streams of magic that merged together to cast down the mare of black.

The dark mare braced with both hooves raised up in the form of an X to defend. As the combined magic struck the dark mare and immediately enveloped the mare in a column of bright white magic. She screamed and felt the magic burning her body before the magic then exploded. Blasting open all the doors and covering the room in a dark mist all around them. At the very least, this gave the other ponies a chance to flee the scene and avoid the wrath of Maul.

Once the smoke cleared, the three princesses gasped at the shocking result of their attack. Maul simply had several burns on her hips, face and legs that steamed with smoke. She growled and trembled at her mother daring to attack her, now she was done griping to Twilight. Twilight in the meantime shook her head at Maul's more apparent invincibility to average magic. While the royal sisters stood in front of Twilight and were ready to fight her again, while Spike lunged into the air.

She realized she was pinched in, but Maul handled situations like this many times before. All it took was a scream, to knock away the sisters before turning to face Spike. Her dark magic surrounded Celestia and Luna's horns, stopping any form of magic to be used. Before she jumped and tackled Spike in mid air, sending them both smashing into a wall and sliding down behind the booth. She cracked him two times across the jaw with her hooves before Spike blasted a column of green flames into her chest.

This knocked Maul away and slamming right on her back in the middle of the dance floor. Where Spike was able to then leap to and charge at the dark mare for some close combat. They slammed their claws and hooves together and got into a raw fight of muscle and will power. While Toffee Cake continued to hide Blank from Maul, why he was doing this, Blank did not understand. But it was at least a bit flattering that he was trying to protect her, very gentle colt like.

"We need to go…! They're gonna tear this place apart, and there's no telling what Maul will do to you,"Toffee took up Blank's hoof and took her to the exit out of the party room,"Come on! I'll get you somewhere safe, and then… I'll see what I can do to help…!"

Blank gasped, and pulled away from his grip in defiance at his mad thought of going into the fight. He looked back to her as she gazed at him, her look was solemn and concerned for the stallion. He was an adult, yet he was still so young, why should such a kind stallion throw himself into danger just for her.

"Come on…! You don't need to fight her! She's way below what you are, Blank!"Toffee called to the mare of white as she closed her eyes and gave him a half smile.

Blank shook her head, and looked to her friends rushing in to fight the slippery dark mare. Jumping and sweeping under them, now that their magic was currently useless against her. Blank then looked back to Toffee and quickly shut the doors, leaving him outside the room, and safe from the carnage.

"Blank? Blank! No, no, no no!"Toffee attacked the door and pounded at it while hearing Blank run towards the fight.

Meanwhile, Maul had managed to slide under Celestia and shoot her into the DJ booth. Before blocking Luna's hooks that cracked against her dark magic shields shaped like trays. She then cracked Luna's head up by swinging her front hooves together against both sides of the night princess's head. Causing her to get dizzy and disorientated, allowing Maul to buck her in the chest. Sending Luna flying into another table full of chips, and cheese samples, Twilight then grabbed her from behind.

"This is over, Maul! It's time for you to stop all this chaos, and give in!"Twilight squeezed Maul tight and locked her fore arms in to pin Maul down.

"No! I will take what I want! And I will have your LOVE!"Maul suddenly shocked Twilight with what she truly desired, before her limbs bent and twisted the opposite direction.

Her whole body even twisted and turned the other one with a few cracks of bones. Till she was then facing Twilight and managed to hug her and push the friendship princess up against a wall. Twilight was forced to look Maul in the eyes as she struggled to fight off the dark mare. Twilight aimed her horn, and tried to shoot some magic into Maul's face to force her off. Only for Maul to scream and tightly hugged Twilight, causing the walls to crack and threaten to collapse.

"Love me! Stop trying to shut me out, mother!"Maul yelled before Spike jumped behind her and slashed his claws down Maul's back.

She turned around and threw Twilight to the ground to ram Spike in the chest. He tried to grab at her head and punch at Maul's back that was quickly recovering from the scratches. Only for the mare of black to shove him over, and pin him to the ground with dark magic shackles. They locked his wrists in, keeping him from fighting as she then started to stomp her hooves down on his leg. Forcing Spike to scream, her hooves continued beating down on his leg till he felt it crack.

With his leg broken, Spike could not kick her off, and with his arms chained back. Maul was free to jump and slam down on his ribs and his chest plate, it only took one slam to crack two ribs. Spike tried to shoot some green flames to knock her away, but once he felt two ribs fracture. He lost the wind he needed to breath any fire, after several stomps to the chest. She yanked his head up, and started pounding away at his face, her hooves fueled with darkness and pain.

"She has too many of you trying to keep her away from me! You ALL need to die,"The dark and disturbed mare yelled as she pounded away and finally drew blood from Spike's nose and mouth,"All of you must die! Then I'll be the only one she needs! She'll give me love again! She'll be my mother again!"

Before she could do any further damage, blue magic had then blasted Maul in the side. Knocking her off the dragon and shattering the windows as she slid towards the edge of a balcony. This gave Spike the room to writhe in agony, clutching his body that was in searing pain. His insides felt like they were caving in as he screamed, and the slightest movement forced sharp pain through his leg. He panted, and screamed, as Twilight found her chance to run to her injured dragon.

"Spike!"Twilight yelled and looked at his leg that was stiff and slightly bent in a form it should never be bent.

"Twilight…!"Spike yelled through the pain and coughed a few drops of blood as he held his torso.

"Just hang on…! Just…try to relax, and not move…!"Twilight tried ease her dragon's pain as he struggled a bit to breath with his internal injuries.

"Why do you defend these weak friends of yours? They're not even of your making,"Maul slowly walked back into the room surrounded by dark and glowing magic,"Why do you show them love, and not me?! I am your creation, your true making! Why can't you care for me!"

"You know why, Maul! You're out of control!"Twilight yelled as the royal sisters finally recovered from their damage, and stood side by side to the dark mare.

"And you must be stop…! Your darkness has threaten to corrupt our home for fifty years!"Celestia spoke broadly of Maul's effect on their world while lighting her horn with gold magic..

"And this darkness must end. By any means necessary!"Luna added and lit her horn up with magic, ready to fight once more.

Suddenly, Maul fell silent and glared, while the royal sisters ceased their magic immediately. For Blank had finally stepped in front of her friends and stared blankly at the mare of black. Maul was quiet and hateful, as the two of them once again connected on an unknown level. Blank was a bit confusing, for her look was not of hatred or desire to see the dark mare's destruction. No matter how much Maul deserved it, Blank only appeared to hold solemness, and even a bit of sadness.

"You are such a new pet…! She'll cast you aside, just like she did me! Why would you defend her,"Maul paced to the sides, staring down Blank and fuming at the mare of white,"What do you hope to accomplish by fighting me? You're not even a pony! You're just a no pony! A blank slate!"

"You know… You're very lucky to have had Twilight for a mother. I don't even know what that is,"Suddenly an unknown female voice, gentle and soft echoed in Maul's head,"You should have just given Twilight's friendship a chance, and maybe you could be happy… Because… Even though I don't know who I am… Her friendship has made me… Happy…!"

Maul took offense to being told that she had it easy compared Blank Slate. She screamed in response and charged at the white mare, Blank responded by gripping her dress and throwing it off. She then silently charged at Maul, they looked like two bulls about to slam heads together. Maul then made the mistake of trying to rear back and throw two hooves forward to crush Blank's head. This allowed the white mare to jump and head smash into Maul's belly, knocking the wind out of her.

They crashed to the ground, rolling till Blank bounced ad stood behind Maul. Letting the dark mare get up and shout, letting a stream of cloudy miasma gush from her mouth. Blank closed her eyes to brace for the hit, only for the rainbow magic to sparkle through her white coat. The miasma struck her, only to burn away to ash while rainbow magic then shot towards Maul. The black mare had no time to react before the rainbow magic blasted her in the face, feeling like as strong splash of acid.

She erupted into another scream and gripped at her face as steam lifted in mass. Her head looked like hot coals with water dumped on them, she gripped and growled with pain on her face. She stomped her hooves and growled one more time before turning back to the white mare. Allowing her horribly burned and disfigured face to be seen, as it struggled to reconstruct and fix the damage. Blank continued staring solemnly, and it proved to be a potential distraction in kind.

"You are just another petty friend that's in my way! You don't deserve to be a some pony! You don't even deserve to live!"Maul yelled and ran at Blank, taking advantage of the white mare's conflicting feelings.

She screamed while gripping at Blank's neck and forced her against a wall. There she was able to start putting the squeeze on Blank, wanting to choke the life from the mare of white. Just as she did with a couple of Twilight's friends, Twilight watched in horror as Blank struggled against the dark mare.

"You don't deserve her…! She's mine! I'm all that she needs in this world! So just…die,"Maul demanded blood by cracking Blank's head against the wall and squeezing even tighter,"Just die! Die, die, die! DIE! Just die, and never come back! DIE!"

"Maul! Leave her alone!"Twilight demanded as Celestia and Luna rushed in to run Maul through with their horns.

"Stay BACK!"Maul yelled and made dark purple bubbles appear all around the royal sisters, imprisoning them in her magic.

"This has nothing to do with Blank! It's me you want!"Twilight tried to fool Maul into taking her instead.

"No…! It has EVERYTHING to do with her! I can't stand her, or her magic! She must die!"Maul screamed and continued squeezing to take the life out of her rival.

"NO!"Came the objecting yells of a brave Pegasus that came to the aid of the mare that stole his heart.

Toffee bravely made it through the big doors, and took up his big bowl of punch. He had then surprised Maul by cracking her in the head, stunning her and making the mare release the other. She face planted, her head actually did feel rattled and shaken into confusion by the blow. The stallion then put his oddly sturdy bowl down and grabbed the dark mare's head. Letting Blank collect herself and catch her breath, as Maul screamed, only to get her face dunked into the punch.

He tried with all his might to keep her head in the punch, as she flailed and fought for air. She proved strong, and over powering at first, as she growled and raised her head from the punch. The things she was now hungering to do to the Pegasus were brutal and unholy, it was enough to sicken the innocent. However her dark desires were put on hold as another pair of hooves forced her head back into the punch. It pained Blank to do it, but she was not going to let Maul hurt any pony else.

With Toffee and Blank holding her down, Maul was losing strength and air. As she flailed her hooves around and drowned in punch, her hooves then pounded at the floor. Cracking it and sending quakes through the room as she screamed for air, she tried bucking at Toffee. Thankfully moving to the side kept him out of harms way, and it served them by draining Maul's strength more. Finally, she was starting to slow down, and even lose her vision due to lack of oxygen.

Her hooves strained and pushed against the floor, before they then fell out from under her. That was when Blank gasped and finally decided that enough was enough for her. She pushed Toffee's hooves away, and shoved Maul out of the punch bowl, letting her roll to her back. Where Maul was then choking and gagging, she spit ounces of punch out and squirmed for air. As the ponies watched Maul show great weakness, never did Twilight think she'd see Maul so brutally defeated.

She wriggled and coughed before the mare of black was finally able to breath. She gripped at her chest and panted, soaking in what air she could pull into her lungs to relax. While Blank and Toffee stood back and watched the dark mare start to recover, but with little strength remaining. She slowly sat up with a soaked mane in her face, panting and growling at Blank. While Blank continued giving her a solemn look, and the white mare did not even know what this feeling was.

"Blank…! Are you ok? She nearly strangled you!"Toffee gripped the white mare's shoulder and looked at her neck, only for Blank to grip his hoof.

"Easy now there, partner…! She's perfectly uninjured, and kicking flank again."Applejack sounded out through Blank's head, while the mare of white gently smiled as his caring nature for her.

"You…! You're all fools! All of you are just a bunch of pets that stand in my way,"Maul yelled as Celestia and Luna were released from her dark magic hold due to lack of strength,"You all need to be destroyed! Every last one of you! Everything must be destroyed!"

"This is over, Maul! Your conquest of destruction on Equestria is over!"Celestia made the situation clear to the dark mare as Twilight finally stood up.

"Now surrender yourself, or you yourself will be destroyed for your crimes!"Luna demanded either surrender or death as payment for the things Maul did.

"Never! All of you will be destroyed by my forces. My power will be absolute!"Maul threatened before she was able to finally stand back up on shaky legs.

"Not while I still stand, Maul! This is going to end! And if it means destroying you! Then so be it…!"Twilight made herself clear while Maul started to surround herself in dark fog.

"Then you destroy the only living memory you have left of your friends, mother… Just so you know,"Maul retorted and silenced Twilight before glaring to all the others ponies,"As for all of you…! You've left me no choice! If you won't submit! Then there will be WAR!"

"Such a thing will be answered! War is a foolish thing to threaten us with, Maul!"Luna warned Maul about the crazy demand of war she dared to utter.

"We have far more allies, and far more experience than you could ever hope to have,"Celestia added while Twilight stood there with shock at Maul's choice for a war,"If you go down this road, you will only suffer a worse fate than the one that already awaits you…!"

"Then you clearly don't know what I'm capable of…! Everything will be mine! Even you,"Maul warned as she disappeared into the torrent of dark fog made of her very essence,"Just you wait…! All of you will die, and I will at last have it all…!"

With that, the mare of black had finally vanished into the fog, and fled out the window. Slowly she made her way back to the forest where she would now prepare to fulfill her promise of war. While the ponies inside were left to think about what transpired here, and lick their wounds. The days had now gotten more intense, help was now going to be needed in full to fight Maul. And the magic of friendship would be needed even more than ever, if only Twilight could summon it once more.

 _ **Slight cliff hanger in it's own right, but I can't bore you guys with straight forward and dull endings. Also within a couple weeks from now, I may not be on for some time unless all goes smoothly, because I am going to be moving to a new house, better living, better internet, better story making all around. Till then, stay pony every one.**_


	18. Chapter 17: Time To Be A Pony

Chapter 17: Time To Be A Pony

There was a lot of unrest following that night that a party for harmony turned into a show of it's defiance against disharmony. With Maul defeated, this paved the way for every pony to brave her carnage. Even as she now demanded a war against all the ponies that chose not to submit to her. This did in fact instill a bit of unrest, now that war with the Yangs was now beginning. The night was full of uncertainty, and many could not sleep, knowing that they may experience the worse of Maul.

But eventually, a new day was rising at long last, after such a long night of unrest. The town was stirring as the sun raised in the east over numerous mountains in the distance. The sunlight brought warmth and new found spirit that illuminated and circulated through Ponyville. Almost immediately, the ponies awoke were out and about through the town hoping to continue living out their lives. While at the rainbow castle, there was much more unrest and uncertainty for Blank and her friends.

Ever since Maul's departure, Blank had been uneasy and unable to even sleep through the night. All she was able to do is sit by Spike's side, while he was recovering from injuries in his room. He was covered up and fed a lot of medicine, gauze was wrapped all around his broken leg, head, and upper body. He had taken some pain killers recently before going back to sleep thanks to Blank's company. But the pain still lingered, it was dull, but it was still there, and still aching.

The mare of white sat by his side, offering any support she could all through the night. Even when it meant that she was very tired, and barely able to keep her eyes open to watch him. Thankfully, Spike was able to wake up the moment the bright and shining sunlight poured into his room. His eyes squinted from the light that shone in his eyes and warmed his scaly hide to complete comfort. He groaned, his body feeling dull pain through his whole body the moment he tried to yawn.

Once his eyes were able to open wide, he rubbed at his eyes with both fists. He sighed softly to avoid any further pain in his ribs, before turning his head to see Blank Slate at his side. He widen his eyes a bit more with solemness, and a bit of heart warm to see his friend never leaving his side.

"Blank…? You never left me, huh? You look terrible…"Spike slowly reached out and held the white mare's cheek as she began to stir herself awake.

Blank let out a small moan, and shook her head before her eyes were able to open. She took in the new day with a blank look and great weariness, before she then smiled at the sight of Spike. Even when injured he still showed concerns for her, as she hold his claw against her cheek with flattery.

"I'd never leave you like this, Spike…"Rarity sounded off in Blank's head as she nuzzled his gentle claw.

"Thank you… But you should really get some rest… You need to sleep too."Spike insisted after seeing the baggy eyes and the messed up mane that proved Blank's weariness.

Blank shook her head, but instead, she rested her head on the bed right next to Spike. He was able to breath a little easier, even when there was no telling it to Blank. He slowly turned his head to look at the ceiling, and smiled for the friend Blank was turning out to be for him and Twilight. No matter what, she was willing to trust them and be their friend, one that would do anything to help end this conflict. Even though she herself did not get a chance to embrace her life or even learn who she was.

That was also bothering him, hearing her admit that she did want to live her own life for a bit. While Maul only embraced and took advantage of all the life she was able to have out of the world. It seemed a bit unfair that a pony like Blank did not get to enjoy her new found life. This was something he felt that needed to change, but he was in no position to help her at the moment. Thankfully a visitor was there to assist with both his own issues and Blank's.

That visitor was Twilight, and she actually appeared to be in a good mood for a change. Especially once she had entered the bedroom, and found her two friends still together after last night. She sighed and smiled, before she cleared her throat, and only got Spike's attention. While Blank had suddenly fallen asleep the moment her head hit the soft mattress of Spike's bed.

"She never left your side… Blank really has become a true friend to us,"Twilight admitted while making a bowl of oatmeal appear on the table next to Spike's bed,"How are you feeling? Is the pain fading away at all?"

"It's still there, but it's nowhere near as bad as it was last night,"Spike admitted while Twilight offered him some water to drink before he could dig into his oatmeal,"We really stuck it to Maul last night…! Blank sent her packing, and now we're gonna fight back."

"Yeah…! With Blank at our side. We can fix this problem I made, and we can avenge our friends,"Twilight agreed and watched Blank sleep before she then noticed Spike's solemn mood towards Blank,"Is there something wrong Spike?"

"Well… Blank has so far been doing nothing but helping us and the town with bringing back harmony,"Spike decided to trust Twilight with his worries for their mysterious friend,"I mean… She may have been just manifested in a cave, but she's still a pony…! And she's never gotten a chance to live like one."

"Oh… That's true… She was merely a blank slate tossed into our world. She probably doesn't even know how to be a pony,"Twilight agreed and watched the white mare slumber,"You thinking she needs a chance to have fun and be a pony?"

"Yeah… She's our friend. And if she's going to live here in Ponyville. Shouldn't she get to enjoy her new home,"Spike replied with a nod and more reinforcement for Blank to enjoy Equestria,"Maybe you can take Blank out somewhere? Take her to a spa, or maybe Sweet Apple Acres? Or maybe even Sugar Cube Corners?"

"I can't… Celestia and Luna left this morning, and now we have my brother and Cadence coming over tonight,"Twilight explained while sighing that there was more work for her to do,"I need to prepare for their arrival. I won't have time to take Blank out for a trip around town…!"

"Well I can't exactly move around much. I'm pretty much stuck in bed…!"Spike ranted that he could not do anything till he was able to heal from his injuries.

"Ugh…! Well I don't want Blank to go out there alone now that we got a war started with Maul,"Twilight made it clear that safety was an important thing to maintain for her friend and her town,"I'm not going to let Blank get blind sighted or attacked by a horde of Yangs…!"

"Well, there are some friends out there that we can trust… I can think of three right now."Spike incited while revealing that he already had an idea of who they could trust with Blank.

"So can I… You really have grown up, my number one assistant…!"Twilight was reading his mind while slowly making a quill pen and paper appear in a flash before she began to write a letter.

From that point on, Blank was sleeping through the rest of the morning, unaware of her friends actions. She remained partially resting on the bed right next to Spike as he had gone back to sleep. She nuzzled Against his shoulder as he began to slowly snore a bit loudly. But what finally managed to wake her up was the door opening up to reveal Twilight returning to her friends. As she whispered with some friends outside the room, as Blank lifted up her ear and slowly began to wake up.

"Blank…? Are you awake yet?"Twilight whispered as the mare of white lifted her head to feel the warm sunlight hitting the side of her face.

Blank yawned, she still felt tired, but she was at least able to get her body going for the day. She rubbed her eyes and managed to get them half open before she let out a relieving sigh. Finally, the white mare turned to Twilight, as she kindly came in quietly with some medicine in her hooves.

"Good morning…! I'm surprise that you stood by Spike's side the whole night, Blank,"Twilight admitted quietly while putting some medicine on the table next to the bed,"You fell asleep early this morning… And he didn't want to bother you when he woke up for a bit…"

"I would do anything for my dear, Spikey wikey…!"Rarity sounded out again while Blank petted Spike's scaly head and spikes.

"Blank? I can take it from here. There's something I need you to do for me…"Twilight whispered and Blank was slowly but surely able to turn to her and give the princess all the attention she could muster through the grogginess.

"Wonder what it could be at this time? Probably needs us to do some preparations or something!"Applejack stirred a conversation up among the others within Blank's mind.

"Maybe she needs the clouds to be clear for when princess Cadence and Shining Armor arrive!"Rainbow Dash thought as Blank scratched her head, not recognizing the two names.

"Or maybe she needs some special desserts made for when they have heir sit down chat!"Pinkie exclaimed and got Blank a bit hungry for something nice and sugary sweet.

"I have some friends just outside the door that would love for you to join them on a trip through town,"Blank tilted her head in curiosity and a slight bit of confusion for this request,"Blank… You've done so much for us, and for the entire town of Ponyville. And… You haven't even gotten a real chance to enjoy all the things you made possible. You probably don't even know what it means to be a pony…!"

"WHAT?!"All five mares shouted with shock by the request Twilight had for Blank Slate.

"I think you deserve to have some fun in Ponyville for a change. Get a chance to know yourself,"Twilight explained while Blank widened her sparkling white eyes that showed deep joy that she still had yet to fully understand,"I want you to go out and be a pony. It's the least you deserve…"

Blank started to look down to the floor, while she placed a hoof against her warm chest. Her heart pounded strong but slow, as if it was lighting up like a fireplace with warm feelings. It made a big smile form on her face as she gave a silent giggle and a blush for Twilight's generosity. The mare of white then responded by lunging forth and crushing Twilight into a heart melting hug. Twilight chuckled, and felt a warmth of her own burning with joy and happiness for her friend.

"This was a very sweet thing for Twilight to do…"Fluttershy awed and chirped at Twilight's revived friendship she was now expressing to Blank.

"The friendship is at long last coming back to her…"Rarity realized before Twilight let this hug last for a full moment.

"Alright…! You can come in now girls! She's up for a trip to the town…!"Twilight announced softly towards the door before it opened nice and wide.

Blank looked to the door, and there she saw the three Cutie Mark Crusaders before them. They all wore welcoming small smiles as they entered the room quietly, hoping not to wake Spike. While Sweetie Belle decided to take this time to set up some dragon fire lilies next to spike. Their swirly red and orange pedals that were made to look like flames while the insides had some orange and a lot of yellow. They were large and much like jungle flowers, but their pollen was said to bring good luck to dragons.

So there was no flowers more suited for Spike than these dragon fire lilies. She made a vase full of water appear next to the medicine, and quickly dropped the flowers in the vase. With their respects paid to the brave dragon that risked his life for them, they then turned to Twilight and Blank.

"Alright…! So how about we start out with a trip to the spa? My treat…!"Sweetie Belle decided to be the generous mare her sister was and offer a spa day to get the fun started.

"That sounds like a good idea, Sweetie Belle…!"Apple Bloom agreed while Blank sat on her flank and clapped her hooves with enthusiasm and sparkling eyes.

"Looks like Blank doesn't object to that. A trip to the spa it is then…!"Scootaloo agreed as well and took pride and humor for the mare of white's happiness.

"Excellent…! I hope you will all have fun out there in town. It's been so long since ponies could be together with friends,"Twilight expressed her feelings towards the friendship and harmony that was revived,"To not be worried and scared of darkness, and to smile and have fun with your friends… That's what this world has been missing for fifty years…!"

"Then we might as well not waste any more time on it…! Come on, Blank."Apple Bloom insisted and took Blank's hoof up to be her guide out of the castle with the rest of the mares behind her.

"Watch after Spike, please? I'm sure Rarity wouldn't want anything happening to him…"Sweetie Belle whispered as she was the last to leave the bedroom.

"Will do, girls… Have fun, every pony…!"Twilight waved the girls off before shutting the door and getting Spike ready to take some medicine.

Meanwhile, Blank was excitedly traveling down through the hall ways of the castle. The fact that she was about to go out into the town and have some fun, and apparently be an actual pony. She did not know what that meant, but it sounded endearing and respectable to her. All there was left to do is think about going to the spa, it lit up a dormant passion for beauty, something she did not know she had. But it did feel good about how the spa was going to make her look and feel.

And during all of that, the crusaders were chatting it up about not only their day for today. But also the events of last night, they never forgot the night that Maul was actually brought down to the ground. While Blank and the others stood triumphant, proving their magic of harmony was far stronger than Maul's disharmony.

"It's a darn shame that Maul had to be a party pooper and ruin it for every pony,"Scootaloo admitted while she recalled the events in detail and with hidden excitement,"But boy did they stick it to her and get that mare groveling like the coward she was!"

"Yeah! At this rate, we may finally be able to end Maul once and for all,"Sweetie Belle agreed and looked to Blank with admiration for her will to fight the mare of black,"You fought bravely and with a strong heart…! Something Maul could never hope to have!"

Blank's smile faded a bit and stuck to a small one as she looked at the floor and thought about the fight. Apple Bloom was quick to notice the deep contemplation that Blank was dealing with. Ever since Blank admitted that she was jealous of all the things Maul was given for so many years.

"Blank…? I want you to know something before we get out there."Apple Bloom stopped the group for a moment as they were half way down the spiraling flight of steps.

Blank was in fact shocked out of her thoughts for a moment as they all stopped for a moment. Apple Bloom took a few moments to figure out the right words to say to the pure hearted mare. She sighed and turned around to meet Blank face to face and share some memorable words with her.

"Everything that's happen to you is because of the good things you're doing for ponies,"Apple Bloom made that part clear that Blank's influence is leaving a mark on the town,"Maul is now faltering because her years of stealing, hurting, and killing have finally caught up with her. It's all because of you that this new life was possible, and you wanna know something else? It's your life to live too…!"

With that, the mares could all happily continue on down the stairs, all the way to the main doors. Where Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were kind enough to open both doors for Blank and Apple Bloom. With that, they were all able to get outside and take in the fresh air of a bright and shining new day. Their first stop was the spa, where two similar faces would take good care of them. However, once they were entering the main town, another thing crossed Blank's mind.

She stopped for a moment, and turned her head towards the gingerbread building to her right. Where she now learned was the home of Toffee Cake, the brave stallion that danced with her, and fought for her. She smiled at the building and held her heart for a moment. For a more softer warmth was striking her in the heart, one that beckoned her to go see the stallion. But first, she needed to go to the spa and refresh herself from the hard night she had, and to finally be a pony.

 _ **Hey every pony, as you know, moving day is drawing near, and story writing may get hectic. I'll try to write where I can, but bare with me if I disappear for more than a week. Till then, please enjoy the stories, and I hope you are all ready for the holidays that are quickly approaching. Stay pony every one.**_


	19. Chapter 18:Time For The Spa

Chapter 18:Time For The Spa

It was at last time, time for Blank to embark on a new mission. She was a bit nervous to attempt such a mission, she knew nothing about it and did not know how it could possibly be done. Many ponies knew how to do such a task, but she was no ordinary pony. So this was going to be a challenge, but great rewards awaited her if she was to brave the task and indulge. As she stood outside the spa with the three crusaders at her side, determined to enjoy a spa day.

"Trust us…! It may seem a bit overwhelming now, but it gets amazing in there,"Sweetie Belle offered some encouragement for Blank as she looked over the building and it's secrets,"By the end of this spa day, you're going to feel a thousand times better than you ever have before!"

Blank crossed her front hooves for a second and needed a bit more time to think. Thankfully the crusaders grew to have much more patience than they ever did as young fillies. It took a few minutes and a deep breath before Blank sighed, and nodded her head in agreement.

"That's the spirit! Now come on, we can't leave Yin and Yang waiting!"Apple Bloom insisted before her and Scootaloo rushed in first to see the the descendants of Lotus and Aloe.

"Don't be nervous…! My sister use to come here all the time in the old days,"Sweetie Belle took Blank's hoof and walked with her into the astonishingly zen establishment,"She loved this place! It's how Rarity could stay at the peak of her beauty for so long!"

Blank looked around, seeing beauty pictures of ponies enjoying the spa in the past. While other pictures held simple signs of harmony and marks of peace, and tranquility. There was even a cute mini water wall up against the wall letting rushing smooth waters to flow down. The mare of white's eyes began to sparkle and blink blue for a second to see all this in a new perspective. For an old spirit was burning with happiness and nostalgia to be in the same old spa with a new look.

"This place is beautiful…! And it never stopped being the spa I loved!"Rarity chirped from within the white mare as they looked around to find their friends.

It was then that they spotted Apple Bloom and Scootaloo speaking with the mares of the hour. The twin ponies looked to their newest and most special of customers today. They looked so different, yet they were both the same in many ways, just like Lotus and Aloe. Yin was a white mare with a pitch black mane and tail with black circles of fur around her eyes, her mark was an outline of the yin symbol. Yang was a pitch black mare with with a white mane and tail and white circles around her eyes, her mark was outlined as the Yang symbol.

Once they recognized the mare of white, they both gasped in perfect sync with each other. Before they both bolted over and were instantly checking out Blank's body and features. She had the facial details that some what resembled Rarity, but Scootaloo felt that she had the smooth but strong body structure of Rainbow Dash. Her mane was sleek and easy to brush and smooth out. Her eyes looked like with just a simple cucumber treatment, they'd be flawless, no puffiness to fear.

"My goodness! She is a fortunate day, sister! We have the mare of white on our establishment!"Yin exclaimed with barely a french accent that remained from their ancestry.

"I know, just look at her humble figure with sleek curves and soft legs,"Yang assessed Blank's body type that seemed very humble, but lady like, and yet it still held some muscular detail,"And she is completely pure white, like a campus that was waiting to be painted. Her face for example was naturally looking and somewhat attractive."

"Her face has no wrinkles, but there is room for improvement around the eyes and lips,"Yin pointed out a curious flaw with Blank's natural look regarding her eyes that were on the verge of puffiness, while her lips showed limpness and wrinkles along the line,"We must help this mare become all that she can be in the face of public. No cover up make up, we must refresh and bring higher beauty to this hero!"

"Will the usual do the trick for her?"Scootaloo asked while the twins quickly shook their heads in protest.

"Absolutely not, her pores will need a cleansing. Her fur will need straightened, and we must purify her face,"Yin explained the requirements they needed to make Blank shine her brightest,"This will require the Rarity special, named after Rarity. The unicorn that helped make our establishment everything it could be!"

"There's a spa treatment named after me…?!"Rarity chirped while the others groaned at her flattery from within.

"My sister's treatment… Mind if I could partake in this treatment?"Sweetie Belle asked of the mares out of respect for her sister.

"Same here! Anything that Rarity made just to help other ponies HAS to be amazing!"Apple Bloom announced her interest in the special treatment made after Rarity.

"I third that notion!"Scootaloo called out while the sisters took a moment to think about it before agreeing to it.

"Very well! To respect Rarity's wishes and to work on the white mare herself. We will give you all the treatment, for free!"Yin and Yang offered the special treatment free of charge out of respect for Sweetie's sister, and for Blank.

"Really?! Thank you so much! This is so sweet of the both of you to do!"Sweetie Belle admitted and hugged both the twins for their generosity.

"Think nothing of it our dears! Yin, please take these ladies to their sisters for hooficures to start,"Yang instructed her sister as she squeezed through the hug to take up Blank's hoof,"I must take blank to the seaweed wrap and mud bath immediately!"

"Of course! Right this way ladies. Your hooves must be aching for some treatment."Yin became the guide for the crusaders and lead them to the room in the back and to the left.

"And please come with me, Blank Slate…! I must begin on making your beauty shine…immediately!"Yang took a skeptical and slightly scared Blank to another hall way towards a room on the right.

Blank stumbled all the way down the hall till they made a turn to the right. Where they then entered a dark and jade red colored room with two rows of eight mud bath tubs. Yang made Blank wait at the entrance to quickly light some vivid incense that smelled like lotus flowers and sweet ginger. She rested the incense on a small rectangular table that was shiny and marbled with red and black. Before she pulled out a cucumber oil and fresh cucumber that she cut up thickly.

Once those were set up, she began to fill up the bath with special mud for the body. And then it was time to prepare her customer for the experience, and it started with the sea weed. She carried the wrap over to Blank, clearing her throat to snap Blank out of her curiosity for some flowers on a round table.

"Alright, Blank! Spread your legs a bit. The sea weed wrap must be applied to revitalize and aid the mud in cleansing your pores."Yang explained while Blank was hesitate, but slowly did as she was told.

The mare did not hesitate to move all around Blank and wrap her body up in sea weed. As much as she didn't want to see Blank's snow white fur disappear, this was good for the body. She did not stop until Blank was covered neck to hoof in the sea weed wrap. The sea weed felt strange on her body, it felt moist on the inside and dry on the outside, it gave her cool sensation. As Yang then finished wrapping her up and leading Blank slowly to her prepared mud bath.

"Now then! Just slowly step in and just submerge yourself till you reach your neck in mud,"Yang instructed while going back over to the table to oil her hooves up with cucumber oil,"Take a deep breath, and just relax. Let the treatment take effect and cleansing you to the core!"

Blank swallowed for a moment and let out a deep breath to shake off her shyness. She closed her eyes and casually stepped into the mud, it crawled up her leg creepy like and cold. But she was able to slowly step another hoof into the mud before her spine and legs shivered from the cool mud. She panted and took rapid deep breaths to brave the creepy mud before she made it all the way in. Before Rarity gave her a push into the mud and got Blank to lay down like she was suppose to.

Her body shivered at the sensation of mud spreading all over her body up to her neck. Thankfully her body had then began to relax with a little help from the fragrant incense around her. She took in another deep breath, and slowly began to embrace the soft mud as she laid back. Once she was relaxed and calm, Yang saw her opportunity to start some work on Blank's face. As she rushed over and started applying cucumber oil all over her cheeks and around the circles of her eyes.

"Excellent! You are doing fabulous, Blank Slate! Just relax and embrace this,"Yang insisted while pulling out her slices of cucumbers and began to place them gently on Blank's eyes,"Keep your eyes closed while these are on your eyes, they will reduce puffiness and make your eyes sparkle!"

Blank gave the spa mare a light breath and a nod before she tried to relax her body more. Allowing her to embrace her first real spa treatment, and her first time being a pony. While Yang prepared the green mud mask for the rest of the process on Blank's face, Yin had her hooves full as well.

As she treated the crusaders to the treatment in a different cycle. Rather than also partake in the mud baths, they were currently in spa chair with mud masks on their faces and thin sliced cucumbers on their eyes. With some help from two assistants, they were able to give the crusaders hooficures as well. While their back hooves were soaking in sediment water to soften them up. The three childhood friends were in heaven, never did they think they'd be able to indulge in any sort of pampering after their dreaded curse.

As long as it felt being unaging old mares for fifty long years, it went by so fast. It was as if their long curse was but a mere dream that quickly disappeared upon waking after several days. It made them wonder if what they did was truly worth it, and if they truly did learn a lesson from their actions.

"This feels good, I gotta say it, girls. It's nice to finally loosen up and let go of your troubles…"Apple Bloom sighed before a muscular stallion was able to start working her shoulders.

"You sound just like, Rarity…! Always at her happiest when she's taking a load off in the spa."Sweetie Belle pointed out just as Yin finished up her front hoof hooficure.

"We've all sounded like our sisters at some point. Guess in a weird way… They never truly left."Scootaloo admitted while she personally got her wings preened and cleaned up nicely.

"I know, and Blank seems to do a good job of reminding us of that…! She behaves like them sometimes."Apple Bloom admitted as she thought about how Blank has grown on them since her arrival.

"Yeah… I wish we could learn more about her. Maybe she could find out who she really is…"Scootaloo thought while Blank suddenly came to Sweetie's mind after almost an hour of not seeing her.

"Speaking of Blank, I hope she's doing ok with Yang. She seemed nervous to try all this…!"Sweetie Belle thought before they were all getting shoulder rubs.

"She should be done any time now…! I believe she may just be getting dressed up to come here as we speak!"Yin explained based on how all the treatments tend to go.

And right as she said that, Yang entered the room with Blank right on the spot. She wore a similar robe from the one the crusaders had, and she still had her mask and cucumbers on. She needed to be guided the whole way to her seat that awaited her, while the strong stallion prepared the water for her back hooves.

"She is ready!"Yang told Yin as she got Blank seated and put the chair back a beat for more comfort.

"In ten minutes I will bring you lovely ladies to the mud baths and sea weed wrap treatments."Yin explained to the crusaders before the three of them were then getting their back hooves hooficured.

"Sounds good! You enjoying the spa so far, Blank?"Sweetie Belle asked while Blank looked around for a moment to find her friends and nod to them.

"Excellent! And you have made it pass the first step towards true pampering, my dear!"Yang chirped and dipped the mare of white's back hooves into the water.

Her hooves trembled at sudden discomfort, but she did her best to stand still for the workers. As Yang brought out the tool she needed to start hooficuring Blank's front hooves. While the strong stallion was then instructed to start rubbing Blank's tense shoulders, this proved helpful. For Blank was immediately melting on the inside to have her shoulder massaged and cared for. She sighed with relief, and nearly melted into her chair while watching her front hooves get smoothed out.

"Glad you're warming up to it! You deserve a chance to unwind and be a pony for a change."Scootaloo admitted as their back hooves were finished being smoothed out and cleaned.

"Yeah… So how's it feel to be a pony for the first time in your life?"Apple Bloom asked while Blank tilted her head and shivered with some excitement.

"Yeah. We felt kind of bad now that we thought about it. You just manifested in a cave,"Sweetie Belle thought about it, but could not imagine the thoughts going through Blank's mind,"You just showed up and were given instructions like you were a tool… But you're a living and breathing pony!"

"That's right! You may be here to save us all and finish what our sisters and Twilight started,"Scootaloo agreed and looked to the blue sky full of fluffy white clouds,"But you're still a pony…! And you deserve to live like one regardless!"

Blank smiled, and slowly lifted a cucumber slice up to look out a window. Where she was able to get a view of Sugarcube Corner, where Toffee Cake was unloading barrels of root beer. She blushed and sighed, her heart was getting warmed up like it did last night. While the crusaders took notice of her sudden wandering curiosity, what could she be thinking about?

"Blank? You still with us over there?"Sweetie Belle asked before they realized that she was staring out the window.

"Watcha staring at there, Blank?"Apple Bloom asked and got the employees to stop so she could get out of her chair.

The other crusaders did the same and went over to the window before looking at Blank for a moment. Before they then looked out the window and spotted Sugarcube Corner. They still felt puzzled, perhaps Blank was interested in the sweets they were getting today. However, Sweetie Belle knew better than that, and it was confirmed the moment she was first to spot Toffee. Slowly she lit up the moment she remembered him from the party, and smiled with interest.

"Ooooooh! I know what's going on here, Blank! You're not just looking at sweets. You're checking out your sweet prince!"Sweetie Belle called out and snapped Blank out of her gazing for a moment to blush.

"Oh yeah! I remember Toffee Cake from the party! He gave you a hoof on stopping Maul!"Scootaloo realized as they noticed Blank blushing about Toffee.

"And it looks like he left quite crush on you! You danced with him and everything, right?"Blank nodded to Apple Bloom's question and gripped her cheeks with embarrassment.

"And YOU like him! The look on your face says it all! You like that stallion!"Scootaloo bolted over Blank's chair and pointed out the white mare's feelings.

"He IS a nice stallion. He came to your rescue and everything!"Sweetie Belle came to Blank's right to add to the thought of Toffee Cake.

"We gotta go there so you two can meet! He must have been worried about you after last night."Apple Bloom came in from the left while Blank struggled not to hide her face out of embarrassment.

Blank shook her head and suddenly giggled at the ideas the mares were giving her. This was a first for them to hear Blank giggle like a young filly experiencing love for the first time. This was truly starting to feel like Blank was being a real pony, and the good times were just getting better. At least until they were interrupted by Yin and two of the assistants.

"Apologies, ladies! But it is now your turns for a mud bath and sea weed wrap."Yin chirped and gathered the crusaders up into a line for a trip to the next room.

"Already? But we were just making plans for when we got done!"Scootaloo whined while Blank was able to finally stop giggling from their enthusiasm.

"All in good time. But you all still have a ways to go with your treatments,"Yin insisted as she began to lead them out the door to the next room,"Do not worry, good things will come to those with patience!"

"If you say so. We'll see ya soon, Blank! After this, we're heading to Sugarcube corner."Apple Bloom informed before the strong stallion was needed to pry Apple Bloom away from the door.

"Just you wait! The day is just gonna get better!"Sweetie called out before they disappeared into the next room.

Blank waved her friends off before sighing with more relief and falling back in her chair. She was glad that the noise was over and she didn't need to feel so tickled about her feelings for Toffee. But when she thought about it, they were right about it all, and she really did like him. But this type of like felt different from how she liked the crusaders and how she liked Twilight and Spike. Her thoughts were then interrupted by her front hooves being finished, and Yang standing before her with her tools.

"Ok! I just finished your front hooves! Now we must do the back hooves. Make them clean and soft,"Yang explained and went down to pull Blank's hooves out of the water and get to work on them,"This may tickle just a bit. But you will love the results, Blank Slate."

As honest and kind her words were, Yang had no idea what she was in for once she got started. For Blank had another similar trait to the elements that would proof a bit rough. If there was one thing to remember about one of those elements, she didn't exactly like having her back hooves touched.

 _ **Hope you're all up for a little romance in the next chapter. I really want to try and get these stories going regardless of adjusting to my new place. Again I'm happy you were all patient with me during my absence, and I look forward to bringing you all more sweet reads. Stay pony every one.**_


	20. Chapter 19:Visiting Something Sweet

Chapter 19:Visiting Something Sweet

After an hour more of work with the four mares that received the ultimate spa experience. The doors opened up, and the first three ponies to exit were the three crusaders. The three mares had sweet shades of powder red lip stick on their lips that went well with their pink blush cheeks. Apple Bloom got deep red eye shadow to go with her mane, while Sweetie Belle got cotton candy pink eye shadow. Scootaloo also had eye shadow that matched her mane, they felt so beautiful.

Not only that, they felt good too, and after they spent so long being old mares. The three old friends finally got to look and feel beautiful again, it was almost enough to make Apple Bloom regret past actions. But the past was the past, and her mind needed to remain in the present.

"You look great, Scootaloo…! Seeing you in make up is a whole new experience for me!"Sweetie Belle admitted her interest in the fact that such a tom boyish mare like Scootaloo could look good with make up.

"Back at you! You could probably rival your sister in the looks department. You DID get her treatment after all!"Scootaloo replied before they both looked to the quiet Apple Bloom.

"What about you? You like the new look you got, Apple Bloom? You look very pretty for a pony that works on a farm…!"Sweetie Belle sort of complimented while only a light chuckle left the young Apple.

"Yeah… Feels good to look like a lady again… I just…feel like I owe the both of you an apology."Apple Bloom decided to be forward with her childhood friends.

"Apology for what?"Both the mares asked of their sudden solemn friend.

"For getting the both of you cursed… For being all angry and demanding revenge for my family,"Apple Bloom felt the need to drive this honest show of humility home for her friends,"I was so obsessed with trying to take out Maul… I threw others aside and just thought about myself… We all got cursed because of me."

"Apple Bloom… You did what any pony would do for the family they loved… And family was important to you…"Scootaloo admitted and wanted her friend to not dwell on this struggle from the past.

"You were just one of the few ponies that were brave enough to do what many others wanted to do,"Sweetie Belle joined in and put a hoof to the farm pony's shoulder to support her,"We wanted to do the same thing… But we were too afraid of what she would do if tried to kill her…"

"And you were right to be afraid of her. Fifty long years we suffered for what happened…"Apple Bloom had to be honest about how their actions lead to their half a century curse.

"That's in the past now… We can't just dwell on it and ruin our friendship now…!"Scootaloo insisted before the conversation was then interrupted by the door to the spa swinging open.

They all turned to see Yin and Yang exit the building first to meet with the crusaders. They were ready for some news, but they were immediately noticing Yang sporting some wounds. Her nose was busted in, and her left eye was completely purple, it was as if she had gotten into a losing boxing match. They looked at each other with concern, but neither one of them had an idea of what to say. But thankfully Yin was willing to help clear up what happened.

"Try not to be concern with the damage on my sister. We just had a bit of a learning experience."Yin tried to explain it nicely so they did not think there was an internal affair going on.

"I found out that Blank does not like her back hooves being touched. I think they're sensitive,"Yang rubbed her sore nose after remembering Blank's struggle through the hooficure,"And since she has hooves that can crush a Yang pony to dust. I suppose it was not the best idea to get so close to them when she starts kicking in discomfort…!"

"Sounds like a Rainbow Dash case…"Scootaloo whispered to her friends as the mare of white walked out right behind the twins.

"But with a little bit of hard work and patience. We have finally done it every pony,"Yin explained before her and Yang separated to let Blank be shown,"So without further a do…! I give to you all, the new and improved, Blank Slate!"

Once they parted ways, Blank opened her eyes and silently let her new look show. Her fur looked like pure snow, her eyes were now sleek and without any puffiness of wrinkles. She was given a humble pony tail look to her mane while a powder pink ribbon was tied near the end of her tail. Her cheeks were given a light powdering of red blush to them along with powder blue lipstick. It was complimented with a slightly darker shade of blue for eye shadow, and some very familiar eye lashes she was given.

She put one hoof before the other and look down a bit to give a pose of humility and warm welcome. While her friends were stared at her in awe, Blank went from a strange mystery pony to a beautiful young mare. They could barely recognize her, only her silence and shy mood towards the new look gave her away.

"Wow, Blank…! You look amazing! I never thought we could see this side of you."Apple Bloom admitted her fascination with the beauty that Blank sported for them all to see.

"You girls really out did yourselves this time…! She could have rivaled Fleur Dis Lee!"Sweetie Belle compared Blank's looks to a legendary mare of beauty from back in their day.

"We try our best…! It is our career and dream to make every pony as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside."Yin explained a dream her and her sister shared just like their predecessors.

"Much like our dear Aloe and Lotus did so long ago…! And we hope to respect and help their dream live on!"Yang added as they placed their hooves to their hearts to remember the good from the past.

"Please… We hope you will bring this evil down and let the dreams of others live on,"The twins said together and bowed to the group of mares for their company, and Blank's service,"It has been an honor to help you unwind from your duties and tiring purpose…!"

Blank could not utter the words to express her gratitude for the treatment she was given. Nor could she even apologize for the damage that was dealt to Yang from before. She could only wave to them as they walked back inside and get back to business, just like a lot of hard working Ponyville ponies. Once they were back inside, all that was left was to turn to her three crusader friends. Wondering what the next stop will be, though she already had something personal in mind.

"So…! Now that you're all prettied up. Wanna go somewhere and show it off?"Apple Bloom asked, and Blank responded with a point of her hoof.

Her hoof lead them into the direction of the Gingerbread home and business they all knew and love. The popular Sugar Cube Corner appeared to be a bit busy, but very much lively. However the sweets and the ponies were not what Blank wanted from it, she wanted something a bit more sweet. Something she once felt that night she spent with a kind stallion of the Cakes. And only that stallion could offer just that to her, the feelings he left her with never went away.

"Sugar Cube Corner? Oh yeah, that's right! You're looking for something more than a sweet treat!"Scootaloo giggled and realized what Blank wanted to do for their trip.

"Well sure! We can go get some shakes at Sugar Cube Corner too!"Apple Bloom agreed to the idea while Blank grew thankful that her fake blush covered her real blush.

"And Blank can STIR things up with Toffee!"Sweetie Belle tried her best at a small wise crack.

"Uh…not bad for a wise crack… Any who…! Let's not waste any more time, shall we?"Apple Bloom decided to once again be the leader for the group as she did in the past.

And so, the the four friends were on their way to the next place where they could enjoy life in Ponyville. Nothing would make the day better than some milk shakes and tasty cupcakes from Sugar Cube Corner. So why not satisfy some sweet teeth to sweeten up the day for today? Not only that, but there was something that Blank needed to understand and learn about. These feelings he made her feel that night, she liked how they felt, and she wanted to understand these feelings.

Soon the mare of white would get her chance to do so the moment they arrived to their destination. Even at a small distance, she could smell sweet gingerbread and frosting from the building. It was almost like she was going to get a contact sugar buzz, as was the three crusaders she was with. They entered the house, and were careful to do so since the door was made mostly of gingerbread. And upon entry, the group of friends entered a sweet establishment that was some what busy with a birthday party.

Pumpkin and Pound Cake were both busy at work serving sweets and drinks for the children. The birthday colt of which appeared to be some pony familiar, Blank had seen him once before. He no longer wore rags, nor did his little friends, but their voices were all she needed to hear.

"This is the best…birthday…EVER!"The birthday colt exclaimed as he and his two friends were sent flying from laying on a colorful parachute for fun.

Blank gasped, and she felt a smile of excitement grow on her face once she realized it. This was the colt that she first ran into, she gave him cake even after he tried to pick pocket her with friends. This time there were no rags, there was only a clean colt with a dirty chestnut brown mane. While he bared the colors of black all over himself, but he was adorable all the same to blank. For him and his friends were no longer out on the streets trying to rob or shake others down to survive.

He could now be a kid and have fun with his friends at a party, something every kid enjoyed. Blank could not resist running to the colt and watching him play on the parachute. It was then that the colt was launched one more time, but this time Blank was there to catch him when he fell. She surprised him at first, and he froze once he recognized her as the mare he tried to pick pocket from. However she merely hugged him while the other children recognized her as the mare of white.

"You…! You're the mare of white… The mare that I tried to steal from,"The colt admitted before she finally put him down alongside all his little friends,"Look… I'm sorry I tried to stick you up. Me and my friends just got really desperate for some food and money…!"

"Yeah… We're REALLY sorry about all that…"His friends added to the apology, hoping for forgiveness that was never necessary to Blank.

Blank simply replied by making a cupcake appear in her hooves by taking it off Pound Cake's tray. As she then presented the cupcake to the colt, as a toke of acceptance for the apology. One she herself sealed by uttering the words of another, a pony that lived for these moments in a party.

"There's nothing to be sorry for… It's your birthday after all…!"Came the sudden voice of Pinkie Pie, speaking softly, but with that same bubbly happiness.

"Whoa…!"The children were all baffled by the sudden voice the silent mare was able to utter, even after so long, Pinkie's voice would never be forgotten.

Blank closed her eyes and nodded to show off her blissful peace with the colt. Before she then saw the three crusaders finding a table to sit at and order some sweets to enjoy. They waved to her, wanting to flag Blank down, but there was still something that she needed to do. She mess up the colt's mane, and moved on towards one of the Cake twins, Pumpkin Cake was closer. So she walked over to the orange mane twin, just as she came out with some more of Toffee's special punch.

"Oh dear…! Watch your step there…! These old hooves like to swing me all over the place,"Pumpkin Cake announced as she swung a bit and manage to dance around Blank and sit the bowl down,"Ah, well look who we have here! Are good old hero of white sporting some beautiful new colors!"

Blank blushed as Pumpkin complimented her new look and her make up. She waved to the mare as she noticed the three crusaders sitting at a table sporting some attractive new looks as well.

"You look like you've just gotten done at the spa…! Pound Cake! We got the crusaders at table three,"Pumpkin called out to her brother, and he was quick to fly out with complimentary cupcakes at the ready,"So what can I get ya for today, sweetie? We've been growing a large selection of delectable treats!"

"I'm on it, sis! Just gotta get these slices of cake to the kids and I'll get to the ladies,"Pound Cake proved to be a fast Pegasus as he swept the slices of cake around, and the children were able to catch them,"Every pony having fun over here?"

"They certainly look like they are Pound Cake!"Apple Bloom called out to the stallion as he then flew over to greet the crusaders.

The stallion chuckled and started making his way through the crowd of children. Before he was then able to gently fly over to the awaiting crusaders that waited patiently for him. And once he was there, the Pegasus was able to pull out a note pad to jot down some orders.

"Sorry about that, crusaders. What can I start you ladies off with?"Pound Cake asked of the crusaders while Blank was able to point out not what,but who she was here for.

"So you need Toffee again, huh? That scamp hasn't stopped thinking about you from last night,"Pumpkin explained before turning to the window that showed a bit of the kitchen in the back,"Toffee! You gotta a visitor! A special some pony from the party last night!"

Almost instantly, there was a crashing of pots and pans going off in the kitchen. There was then a groan once cake batter was tossed through the air, and now there was a mess to clean up. But first, the young stallion himself needed to poke his head up and see what the announcement was all about.

"Yeah? I…kind of messed something up in here! Is it that important?"Toffee asked before he then froze and immediately blushed the moment he saw her.

"Blank…?"Toffee questioned this heavenly reality standing before him, and looking at him with her new appearance.

This distraction proved to be a mistake, for once he stepped forth to lean out the window. He suddenly slipped on the floor all caked with eggs and cake better, slamming on his flank. Blank became alerted to his mishap and ran to the door to enter the kitchen and give him a hoof. Upon entry, she saw the stallion trying to pick himself back up, all covered in cake batter. She rushed to his side and helped him up while looking around to the mess the kitchen was in.

"I'm fine…! I'm fine. My mind has just…been in the clouds, and it's got me,"He paused once he was on his hooves once more he froze up some more once he was looking at Blank again,"A bit… Scatter brained…"

The make up was complimentary to her face, but they were not the sort of her new attractive look. Her lips shined from the lip stick, but her lips themselves looked soft, like they could sing sweet lullabies. He could not tell if the blush on her cheeks was real or not, but it gave her a sense of adornment. While even through the eye shadow and lashes, her friendly smile felt the same. It certainly made him weak in the legs, and got his stomach fluttering once again.

"You look… Amazing…! Did you…get a make over? Because you look just… Well, you were always beautiful. I just meant…"As Toffee tried to explain what he thought of her look, the mares from within did not know whether to feel bad for him, or giggle at his struggle to be a gentle colt.

"This stallion is a hot mess…!"Applejack sounded off with pity.

"We shouldn't be letting her do this…! We don't have time for all this lovey dovey romance stuff…! We have a dark mare to defeat…!"Rainbow Dash complained about the real mission that needed to be completed before such things could be tolerated.

"Oh, do lighten up there Rainbow Dash…! We know she won't submit to corruption. So it won't hurt to let Blank indulge a bit in her personal interest,"Rarity had to talk Rainbow Dash down and hope that she would at least let Blank go,"She has her own life, you know…!"

"That is the joke of the whole half century that we have been dead…!"Rainbow Dash spat before they were all interrupted by the arrival of Pound Cake.

"She does have her own life, and don't you dare forget it or try anything Rainbow…!"Rarity argued quick before falling silent.

"Alright, Toffee. You need to take a break and sort this whole thing out. Because your head has been in the clouds,"Pound Cake insisted that Toffee took an easy and recollect himself from his scatter brain mood,"I'll get this cleaned up and restarted. Just do whatever you two need to do and come back when you're able to focus again son…!"

"Yeah… Sorry about that, dad…"Toffee scratched his mane and took off his hat and his apron to give to Pound Cake.

"Like I said…! Just take a break, and…work whatever it is you need to work out with our mare of white hero here,"Pound Cake repeated and got to work mopping the floor around them,"Try not to worry much… I was the same way when I was your age."

"Right… So… Wanna just…sit down somewhere and talk for a bit,"Toffee asked only to remember that Blank can't actually talk,"Oh! I mean just hang out, I'm sorry…! I forgot that you don't talk, I wasn't trying to be insensitive or-"

Blank once again put her hoof to his lips to stop Toffee from freaking out and feeling dumb. She then nodded to his offer and took his hoof before they both left the kitchen. Where they could find some seats and catch up with each other after what had happened last night with Maul.

 _ **So some more romance to come in the future, and we get to meet Shining Armor after half a century. What will he be like? That's for all of you to wonder and be ready to find out once the next chapter comes. Hope you're all enjoying the holidays with high spirits, and I hope you all stay pony every one.**_


	21. Chapter 20:The Warm Fuzzy Feelings

Chapter 20:The Warm Fuzzy Feelings

Sugar Cube Corner was now more lively than they ever thought possible before. Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake were doing some serious work to on a colt's birthday party. But at last they at least got the kids to calm down and gather around for some story time with Pumpkin Cake. Leaving Pound Cake to deal with the adult customers in a less chaotic situation. Which was great, because not only did he have three childhood friends to cater to, but even his son needed waiting.

For he was now on a date with the mare of white herself, the mare he could not stop thinking about. And at the same time, she could not stop thinking about Toffee since the party. Now these two curious ponies had the opportunity they needed to hang out together without interruptions. Toffee offered to pay for some chocolate milkshakes, sweets always made ponies smile. And there was nothing that go Toffee weaker in the knees than seeing Blank's smile.

"So…! Uh… It's wonderful to finally catch up with you after what happened,"Toffee admitted while nervously waiting for the milkshakes to arrive,"Have…you been ok since Maul's attack?"

Blank got a small smile going as she nodded away to his question and made him blush. While she then rested her hooves on the table and laid her chin on them while watching the stallion. For there was some sort of charm behind his nervous attitude, he was like her when it came to something different.

"Good…! Good…! I got worried that she hurt you. You didn't seem very happy after the fight,"Toffee admitted and put his own hooves out on the table to get on her level,"So…! I… Noticed your make over. You look amazing! But you always looked amazing no matter what, I just mean it's an amazing mak-"

Blank once again put a hoof to his lips before he could panic too much or feel stupid for trying to constantly correct himself. She got him blushing a bit before slowly taking her hoof away from his mouth. He cleared his throat to bring himself back to a cool head for the sake of this date.

"Right… So… What to talk about now? Would you care to…hear a story about me,"Toffee offered a fun little story about himself, and Blank nodded with much interest,"Ok…! Uh… Well… There was a time when I was a colt that I…tried to cook some classic cupcakes with just flower, lint, and a teaspoon of sugar. Then I made the mistake of using WAY too much baking powder."

Blank's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and interest in the stallion's childhood story. Even when it ended in causing several kids to get food poisoning and he was paddled ten times for it. But at least he was able to be confident in what he did and showed that he had a passion for baking. Sure he came from a family of bakers, but it felt so much more different to actually hear about it. It was the white mare's first time hearing a story about a pony that starts to learn their purpose.

"And two weeks after that, my dad got quite the surprise when I saved our business by making one toffee caramel cupcake,"Toffee continued his story telling while Blank unknowingly slid her hooves forward till they were touching his,"Not only did I save our home, but my dad was actually proud of me! And I got this as a bonus."

Toffee got out of his chair for a moment to present the side of his flank to Blank. Allowing her to see the mark that revealed the talent of a pony, a tasty looking crusty toffee cake cutie mark. Blank was impressed by his mark, but blush erupted on her cheeks from a strange heated feeling. Especially when she kept on looking at his flank on a more general way rather than just the mark.

"I became a true Cake, and I proudly help my family's business return to it's former glory,"Toffee finished his story while Blank shook her head and tried to look away from his flank,"Pretty cool, huh? I mean… Cool for the common ordinary pony, perhaps…?"

Blank nodded, only to then notice her hooves pushed right between his own hooves. Toffee took notice as well, and saw how flushed her face was with blush and heated feelings. He cleared his throat and slowly parted his hooves from her own, giving her a chance to recover. Just in time for the milk shakes to suddenly come out in the grasp of Pound Cake, just in time. Pound Cake slid the tall glass cups down the table and right before the enthusiastic ponies all fuzzy with feelings.

"Order up, love birds! Two chocolate malt shakes with sweet whip cream and chocolate syrup,"Pound Cake said as he watched the two wrap their hooves excitedly around the glass cups,"Enjoy your date, and enjoy the shakes!"

"Thanks, dad. You can just take the payment out of my pay this week…!"Toffee gave up a bit of money just to keep this romantic time going.

"No problem, son… Play nice with your lady friend, you…!"Pound Cake said as they saw Blank holding the cup with both hooves and happily drinking in some shake through a straw.

Pound Cake smirked and went right back to work to give Toffee his privacy with the mare of white. It started with a solid moment of watching Blank enjoying her shake like a little filly. To think that she was embracing so many new things in this day, it was a wonder on what was going on in her mind. Toffee sighed and watched her, she still pulled off looking cute even when sucking on a straw. Until she then noticed his dream gazing and slowly stopped drinking.

Blank then waved a hoof in front of his eyes to try and bring him back into reality. Quickly, the stallion shook his noggin and finally snapped back into reality just for her. He chuckled, and saw her tilting her head to make sure he was still with her after his little day dreaming.

"Oh…! Sorry about that… So… Gosh what else is there to say to some pony who can't speak?"Toffee wondered as he then saw her reaching out and holding one of his hooves.

"So far it's looking good…! They seem to be having one hay of a time."Apple Bloom was currently relaying the actions of the date with her friends as the crusaders sat behind Blank.

"Are they kissing? Or maybe just hugging?"Sweetie Belle asked as Apple Bloom continued looking over her chair to watch the two.

"They're holding hooves…! So it certainly looks like their going somewhere…!"Apple Bloom continued to leak the info out as she watched.

"Glad you liked the milkshakes. I'm surprised we had some ice cream left,"Toffee continued with some small talk before he then decided to ask a new type of question,"So about princess Twilight… How has she been as a friend to you? She was deemed a bringer of friendship for good reasons…"

Blank grew curious as she thought of how Twilight adapted from a shuttin to a friendly face. Not only that, but she was even growing compassion and care for the friends she had left. Though it seemed that it even became an obsession, like she did not want anything to happen to them.

"Many are happy to see her coming back to her senses and willing to vanquish maul,"Toffee went on and his expression dropped a bit due to some less than savory information,"There are some others out there that…don't exactly approve of the prince, however. They say she's useless, and that she's going to leave us for dead…"

Blank silently gasped and suddenly slammed her free hoof down with shock and a sudden red hot wash of strange emotion. While Apple Bloom turned away and sat down, this was troubling news to be hearing at such a time. There were ponies out there that disapproved of Twilight, and believed that she was not to be forgiven for her mistakes. Blank sat there wide eyed and shaking with these burning sharp feeling of negative thoughts against others. It felt like her heart turned into a sour furnace that had serious issues with the ones who would despise Twilight.

"Sorry…! That…might have been the step that was too far. Should have kept that to myself…!"Toffee admitted when he saw Blank giving him a wide eyed blank expression.

"Like hay it should! Who would want to hold these kind of grudges against Twilight!"Applejack's voice almost blasted right out of Blank's mouth as she covered it up for a moment.

"Are you alright, Blank?"Toffee asked as the white mare slowly forced a swallow to bury the booming voice.

The mare nodded and managed to relax herself from the sudden truth bomb. But Toffee could see that she was more than infuriated by the sudden info, but she also appeared to be scared. For she had suddenly noticed a crack in the table, formed by her one moment of shock and anger. This was her very first sudden rush of anger, it made her hot under the skin, it made her muscles tense. Her heart pounded like a drum. She slowly started to breath to remain calm, seeing what she was now capable of.

"I'm…sorry. This is your first time feeling true anger isn't it?"Toffee asked while suddenly taking a hold of her hooves, they were shaking.

She looked down to his hooves that held hers tightly, hoping for them to stop shaking. Her muscles were tight with intensity and fading anger, finally one big deep breath got her to cool down completely. Toffee could feel her hooves loosening up, and he was kind enough to rub the top of her hoof.

"Anger isn't exactly an emotion your into, is it? I can't blame you for that,"Toffee spoke slower and softer words as Blank breathed softer and found herself enthralled by his gentle words,"Anger is used a lot by Maul, it's been used so much for scaring others and trying to force ponies into submission."

That alone made Blank never want to be angry again, not if it's a tool to Maul. It makes her violent and chaotic, it made her hope for pain to come down on others for enraging her. But Toffee then offered the other side of anger, what made it a vital emotion to keep.

"But you felt it because you actually care about her. It makes you angry, because you really like Twilight as a friend,"Toffee explained while Blank became more curious rather than worried,"Heck… I was angry when I thought Maul was going to kill you that night. So I went with it and did what I had to do to keep her from hurting you. Because I care about you."

Blank felt her blush returning, while her heart gave away to a new heat from within. The flattery seemed so real, and yet, she could not understood this strange affection he offered her. It felt like the seething rage she once felt was melting away to this warm and fuzzy feeling for him.

"I mean… I tried to drown her in punch just so she couldn't strangle you. And I wouldn't have stopped without you,"Blank was almost tempted to giggle at his further admittance to having a moment of rage against Maul,"You…really do something to me… You make me…want to do whatever it takes to help you, and make you feel like the pony you never got to be before…"

She didn't know what to say, and she could not say anything even if she wanted to. Her eyes grew dreamy and full of contemplation and feelings that beckoned her to try something. So far, Toffee was quite the gentlecolt, and he sounded very sincere about what he was willing to do for her. He was clearly a loving stallion, and being the young stallion he had a lot of life to explore. But he wanted to explore it with her, the things he could show her when Maul was vanquished.

Suddenly at a sudden burst of warm happiness, she found herself lean towards him. Apple Bloom tensed up the moment he saw the puckering of Blank's lips, she thought her body was going to freeze up. Before Blank suddenly brushed her cheek against Toffee's in a wave of affection. But it would not end there, she needed to get these feelings out, if not with words, then by action. So she brushed against his cheek one more time, and then kissed the cheek she nuzzled so fondly.

The young stallion froze up and blushed at her sudden show of affection. Before she leaned away and looked to the hooves that held hers together to keep them gentle and calm. Toffee took a moment to realize what he was just given, and his heated passion was going through the roof. Apple Bloom finally decided to leave the two to their sudden moment of love. As she herself needed to come to grips with what she witnessed, the mare of white was embracing love.

"Ok… Now…! They are kissing…!"Apple Bloom responded while the crusaders erupted with quiet squeals of excitement.

Meanwhile, Toffee was just now coming to from the kiss he was given upon his brown cheek. It was like he was touched by the lips of a gentle soul full of love and innocence. He could not help but rub his cheek with flattery, before he then felt an urge to return the favor to her.

"Wow… Thanks… Care for a little something in return…?"Toffee asked before leaning towards Blank with his lips together.

She was very slow to nod before her eyes glittered with fascination to get the same from him. It made her body tingle with the fuzzy feelings as he went in to plant one on her cheek. But she could not hold in all these feelings any more, and needed them to come out fully. So Toffee was a bit surprised as she put a hoof to his cheek, and gently redirected where his lips were going. Just as she put her lips together, hoping to finally do what she had failed to do with him that night.

Toffee had no idea what to do, this felt like almost too much, but deep inside, he wanted this too. So they were about to finally bring it in for a true kiss that would begin something so much more. However, fate seemed to have a thing for ruining these perfect moments before it can happen. For they then heard the announcements of stern ponies, they sounded like the yells of royal guards. So Blank immediately turned away and looked to the window, Toffee did as well, for guards were a very rare thing to see or hear in Ponyville.

So as much as they wanted to be irritated by the fact that their moment was ruined. Curiosity was first to hit them, as the two ponies and the crusaders pushed up against the windows to see. And what they saw was fascinating, and it was something they had not seen in a long time. Large gray stallions that glittered with their crystal coats and equally sparkling Trojan armor. Blank was clueless, but every pony else was able to recognize them immediately, their crystal coats were a dead give away.

"Those are guards of the Crystal Empire! The princess of Love must be here!"Toffee pointed out as Blank a lit with interest, a princess of love sounded like the friendly type.

Then they all got what Toffee predicted as another Alicorn appeared behind the guards. Her pink fur was like bubble gum, and she looked a bit older than Blank, she was definitely full grown. She had quite the multi colored yellow, pink and purple like mane and tail that was pretty long. Just like Celestia and Luna she wore actual royal attire, bronze horse shoes on her hooves a necklace around her neck, and a gem crown. She had Celestia's magenta like eyes, so she had to be a relation to her.

"That's her…! Princess Cadence, the princess of love. One of the most compassionate princesses ever known,"Apple Bloom whispered, but Blank was able to hear her as they then spotted a burly white stallion at the Alicorn's side,"And there he is…! The beloved prince of Cadence and brother to Twilight, Shining Armor."

The unicorn stallion was impressively jacked, but he seemed like a charming stallion in his own right. His mane was not so long, but had two shades of blue, while a third middle layer was gray. This was the only show of age he had, but he still appeared to be a stallion that was almost in his thirties. It started out a little confusing for every pony, but it had been fifty long years since he was last seen. But it really did seem that the years have been gracious on him, Blank certainly thought so.

Out of a rush of excitement, she clapped her hooves together before shaking Toffee's shoulder. He looked at her, and she pointed out the royal couple, showing her interest to meet the two. Especially now that she learned that this stallion was a big brother to princess Twilight herself.

"Oh… Well… Wanna go out and greet the prince and princess of love?"Toffee offered to go with her to meet the love couple personally.

She nodded, and took Toffee's hoof up before running with him out of their table. The crusaders could not help but have interest in this sight, and they felt the need to follow the white mare. As her and Toffee went out the door, they did so as well, wondering what may become of them when they finally got to meet the rulers of the famous Crystal Empire.

 _ **Cadence and Shining Armor have arrived, and boy do that have a lot to take in after being in the dark about Ponyville. Now Twilight had another couple of ponies to explain herself too, as well as discussing the mystery behind Blank Slate. But that is for the next chapter, so until then, stay pony every one.**_


	22. Chapter 21:The Crystal Rulers Arrived

Chapter 21:The Crystal Rulers Arrived

Blank burst outside to see the royal couple themselves stroll through the town. Toffee followed her out to see this spectacle himself, the princess and the prince of love themselves. Walking pass so many new faces rather than most of the old ones they were familiar with. Blank quietly watched from within the crowd that watched them from both sides, this made the couple sad. So many new faces, and too few old ones that they knew, this was their first taste of the things that have changed.

Blank tried waving to the crystal couple, offering some sort of friendly greeting. Princess Cadence stopped, looking to the towns ponies, they seemed nice enough, but she could see weariness within them. Cruelty that has effected them over a long time, their appearance was one of few times a good thing has happened. Shining Armor held her shoulder as she then let a little heart appear from her horn. It burst into dusts of magic to spread through the crowds of ponies.

"How much has been drained from these ponies…? There's still only so much left in them,"Cadence worried for these citizens and the state of mind they were still in,"What kind of fiend would do this?"

"That's for Twilight to explain once we get to her and ask what the hay happened."Shining answered with what they were here for and who they were here to meet with.

"We should help these ponies…"Cadence insisted a bit more that they should be courteous to the town.

"I can help!"A sudden young and very joyful voice announced herself to the couple before her appearance.

In came a young mare much like Cadence, pink with a multicolored mane of purple and pink. She had only a bronze tiara full of amethyst gems in it, but she did appear to be royalty. Her cutie mark was somewhat like Cadence, many small crystal hearts were all over the side of her flank.

"Flurry Heart, we told you to remain at the train. We don't know what forces could be at work here."Shining demanded of their daughter, Flurry Heart, the young and newest princess of the Crystal Empire.

"What more could be done that hasn't already been done to this place, I think our lives are the least of our worries,"Flurry argued and performed her mothers spell of love to assist them even more,"Can any pony please tell us what happened to your home? Do not be scared to tell us!"

It took a moment before the ponies looked to one another, and simply pointed it out. Way over the trees of the Ever Free, the storming dark clouds and evil magic was revealed. The family of three and their guards watched as the storm thundered and rumbled with faint screams behind it. Screams that fell heavy on Cadence, for they were heavy and full of such deep negativity. It made her almost fall to a kneel as she grasped her head from the dark feeling it weighed on her.

"Cadence…! What is it? What hurts?"Shining rushed to the princess's aid and helped her to remain standing.

"That magic…! It's so full of hatred. It's angry, violent…it wants suffering…!"Cadence groaned and held her head to endure the wrathful screams of anger from the clouds.

"What is it?"Flurry wondered before a face then took form from the clouds themselves.

They had yet to know the face, but the towns ponies easily recognized it. Maul was still angry about that night, and every pony needed to know it, even the new comers. It was like the devil was appearing as a mare in the clouds to instill the cruelty that was forced onto the citizens.

"Whatever it is… It's pure evil and hatred…!"Shining feared while the face suddenly disappeared before Shining felt his hoof be taken up.

He then felt it being shaken very strongly as if some pony was giving him a strong hearty hello. He expected Applejack to be the one greeting him, but when he slowly turned to see who it was. Confusion came to mind once he saw a blank white mare shaking his hoof. No cutie mark, no distinct features, just a plain white mare shaking his hoof with a silent smile on her face. This was very confusing for him, he looked around to try and make sense of this sudden greeting.

"Uh…hello. And…who might you be, ms?"Shining asked before she finally stopped shaking his hoof.

Blank didn't say anything, she only took up Cadence's hoof and shook it as well. Not very formal, but at least she was far more spirited than most of he ponies she's seen so far. The princess of love could only awkwardly smile once she noticed that the mare was oddly not speaking.

"Uh…can you speak at all, ms?"Cadence asked, and was given a shake of the head before her hoof was released.

"Blank! Hold up! At least give them a chance to explore before you give them a Ponyville greeting,"Toffee managed to push through the crowd and make it to Blank's side with little breath to spare,"Apologies, your majesties…! Blank's not much of a talker… But… She's kind of the…town hero around here. She's been helping princess Twilight save our town."

"So my aunt IS ok! That's great news! But…what about the other friends?"Toffee didn't know how to answer that question for Flurry Heart, there was only so much he could think of to say.

"Blank and Spike… Are the only ones left."Toffee finally managed to spit out what he could say on that matter.

"What's that suppose to mean…?"Flurry asked before both her and Cadence were suddenly being dragged by their hooves away to the castle.

"Hey! Where's she going?"Shining Armor questioned before running after the mare and his family.

"Maybe…it's better if the princess told them instead of me."Toffee admitted and decided to follow them slowly from behind.

He stayed a bit back while Blank remained more than happy to take the family to the castle. The crystal couple were now more than confused, they at least expected one or two of Twilight's friends to greet them. But not this mysterious mare with the noticeable iron grip of Applejack. Or the friendly warm welcoming attitude and insistence of Pinkie Pie, something felt off. She seemed like a blank slate, a pony that was nothing, yet it also felt like she was many things.

She felt great magic in the white mare, but she was not a unicorn or even a Pegasus. The magic was difficult to read, it felt like a strong yet jumbled up mess of different things. Impossible to read, yet she could see that there was some brewing feelings between her and the young stallion.

"So at least love is still somewhat existing in this town…"Cadence thought before Shining finally caught up to the rest of the group.

"Wait…! At least answer a few questions for us…!"Shining insisted while trying to catch his breath from the run to catch up.

Blank stopped in her tracks to let him catch up, but then got a bit nervous. He was asking her to do things she simply could not do, she still could not talk or anything, there was nothing she could do. Cadence was then able to understand this struggle and chose not to let her be pushed into trying to answer.

"Shining, she's a mute. There's not much you CAN ask her. She can't speak."Cadence reminded her husband as he composed himself.

"Is that why you're taking us to the castle? Perhaps she can answer all our questions!"Flurry thought, and Blank nodded to them before releasing their hooves.

"Is there at least…something you can tell us about yourself?"Shining finally asked the more particular question that remained to be answered.

"Yeah, I can't really understand your magic and spirit. It's all mixed up, there's so much variety in you,"Cadence admitted her curiosity for understanding the weird power within the blank mare,"You're clearly some pony new and different. You must fit into this situation in some way…!"

Blank only shrugged, not knowing how to answer even if she could answer the question. There was nowhere for the couple to go with the conversation, but Cadence was a determined mare. So an idea came to mind, something very similar from what she'd expect Twilight to do.

"Hang on, I got an idea,"Cadence decided and suddenly wrapped her hooves around Blank's,"Try to use your magic, and I can see into you. Then we'll know exactly what you are."

Blank was a bit hesitate to try and freely use her magic, but she didn't want to disappoint Twilight's sister in law. So she held her hooves tight and closed her eyes to focus. That's when the light blue glow appeared on the top of her head, just as the same color of magic focused around Cadence's horn. Slowly she leaned forward and touched her horn to Blank's forehead. Once their magic connected, Cadence was allowed a much deeper look into the mare of white's mind.

What she saw once she was inside was heart breaking, questions were answered. She saw through the white and rippling black tears in reality, and she saw all five elements before her. They all stand behind Blank in the reality breaking void they stood in, the mares all appeared to be confused. Applejack even appeared to be worried, as Cadence gasped at a shocking truth. These old friends were all merged together into one mare, and there's only two ways such a thing was possible.

"What happened? Why are you all together in this one mare?! Was there some sort of accident?"Cadence started hitting the five with some questions while she had the chance.

All the mares could do was look at each other, not knowing what to say to these questions. Even Blank was not sure of what she was, their presence was merely to be an anonymous presence. Non were to know what Blank truly was, or how she truly came to be, but now they were exposed.

"Where are your bodies? They had to have been merged from some sort of spell, right?"Cadence persisted with questions, until Applejack could no longer hide the truth.

"We…don't have our bodies any more… Maul destroyed them…"Applejack finally answered and removed her hat to show true honesty.

"Maul?"Cadence had yet to know that dark name.

"The dark mare you saw in those clouds. She's the cause of all this chaos…"Fluttershy was next to explain the fruits of the situation.

"We…came together to make Blank Slate so we could help fix what we started. What we forced Twilight to do…"Rarity let Cadence in on a little secret that insisted that this was not all Twilight's fault.

"We should have tried harder to better ourselves… We shouldn't have pressured Twilight to use magic like she did,"Rainbow Dash admitted that this was some how their fault that this darkness came to be,"No matter what… Don't let Twilight go on thinking it's her fault…"

"We just wanna fix what we started, and Blank is now our best shot!"Pinkie exclaimed the importance that this evil was to end.

"Plus it's our only way to be there for Twilight now… We're sorry you had to find out this way…"Applejack admitted while Cadence was left in confusion and with a heavy heart.

Finally, it became too much for Blank to focus any more, and she fought the magic. So Cadence decided to release her grasp on Blank, and end this peek into the white mare's mind. Immediately the void vanished and Cadence was back with her family in the real world again. But now she knew the truth, and she was horrified to hear the truth that not even this white mare knew. She put her hooves to her chest, panting and trying to catch her breath from what she saw within Blank.

"Cadence…! What did you see?"Shining Armor put a hoof to her back to rub it and cool the princess down a bit.

"Mom…? Mom! Talk to us…!"Flurry Heart called and finally shook some sense into Cadence.

She gasped and looked to her concern family with fear and heavy truths on her mind. She then looked to Blank Slate and understood what she was, slowly her hooves released Blank's. Before she then look to her family once more, while Blank looked to her hooves, wondering what had just happened.

"We need to get to Twilight immediately…! This is way worse than we thought,"Cadence warned her family and suddenly raced off down the path,"Thank you for the insight, Blank Slate! I understand now!"

"Cadence! Come on, we have to get to the castle!"Shining Armor commanded and took off after his wife.

Flurry was ready to follow her father onto the rainbow castle, but then she looked back. Noticing that Blank still failed to understand what Cadence saw when peeking into her mind. She looked a bit bothered by the experience, she just could not stop staring at her hooves. Flurry felt a bit bad that her mother left the white mare so confused, she at least deserved some clarity as well. So Flurry's good heart beckoned her to walk to Blank and offer her a hoof in friendship.

"Hey… Don't fall behind. We ALL gotta go see, aunt Twilight…! come on!"Flurry insisted that they both went together, before she was then the guide for Blank this time around.

While her and Blank both ran off to catch up with the crystal couple, Toffee was slowly catching up. But after a good long run, he needed to stop a moment right where they were, and catch his breath. He realized just how bad the timing was for a quick stop, seeing the mares already on their way again.

"Dang…! I was almost caught up. Hope Blank doesn't mind me being tardy to the party,"Toffee thought as he panted and slowly caught a second wind again,"Hang on, Blank! I'm coming!"

As he raced to catch up, Cadence and Shining Armor were making their approach to the castle. She seemed to be in more of a rush now that she knew the truth of Ponyville's fall. The princess needed to see if her little sister in law was ok since Twilight no longer had her friends. Shining was left in the dark about what she saw for now, but all would be made clear soon. As they both rushed up the stairs, they even felt little to no pain from banging their legs on the steps.

Shining Armor himself was nervous, wondering what became of his Twily. He swallowed as they made it to the door, and Cadence started banging on the double doors, hoping for an answer. She knocked numerous more times, until the doors opened up on their own thanks to all the knocking. The crystal couple looked to each other, it was lit up inside, but sounded quiet. They both took a deep breath, and Cadence shoved the doors open to look into the shockingly clean main hall.

For what they were partially expecting from an abandoned castle or shut down castle with only a shudden living in it. The castle was in good condition, it almost looked the same as it did fifty years ago. There was even servants in the castle, a first for the building, even before dark times. They were simply replacing the curtains and mopping the floors humbly. Only more was coming into question as the two entered the main hall slowly, taking in the activity around them.

For a town and place effected by this darkness, the spirit still appeared to be strong. Cadence could almost forget the tragedy she witnessed, she almost expected Pinkie Pie to come bouncing down the steps to greet them. Instead, Cadence cleared her throat to speak, but instead they were both noticed by the servants.

"Oh! The prince and princess of the Crystal Empire has arrived!"One servant announced, and all the others looked to the door to see the new arrivals.

"Uh…hello! I…hope we weren't late, every pony! We got distracted by…some of the sights."Shining was the one to apologize before the servants mobilized to service them.

"Was your journey to Ponyville ok?"

"Would you like something to drink after your trip?"

"I could shine your royal attire while you speak with the princess of friendship, if you wish?"

"No…that's perfectly fine…! But we were hoping to meet with Twilight."Cadence admitted and politely denied any offerings for some warm welcoming service.

"Yeah, I need to know if my sister is doing ok…! I mean…it looks like things have changed!"Shining admitted while looking all over the room, as he finally noticed a slight change in the atmosphere.

"She's been getting better with each and every day, your majesty. We've finally taken a stand against Maul,"One servant admitted and explained a bit of what Twilight has been doing,"With the mare of white at our side, we've kept Maul contained within the forest, her and the Yangs have lost their grip on us."

"Maul…? Who's Maul?"Shining Armor asked, and Cadence was about to answer that question before an announcement was made.

"It's her! The princess is coming…! Every pony in your places!"The lead servant announced, making the servants return to work before hoof steps were heard.

The couple looked to the main stair case and froze in place as they waited. Until they finally saw her after five long decades, one of their most beloved ponies the two have ever known. Twilight calmly strolled down the steps with a male Pegasus, just now finishing up a conversation. The first thing they noticed about her, she had not aged a day, much like Cadence herself. Even Shining had a shade of gray hair in the middle of his two shades of blue, but she was completely unchanged.

"Are you sure there was no sort of activity at the old castle?"Twilight asked of the Pegasus before they were going down the last flight of steps.

"Yes, nothing but roars and snarls from Maul. But she hasn't tried anything so far,"The Pegasus reassured her, but this only meant more unsettling thoughts about what the dark mare was doing,"The Pegasi are willing to keep watch while they control the weather, if you wish?"

"Yes… I don't trust this…! I know her personally. She won't stay quiet for too long…!"Twilight agreed to the suggestion, knowing how unstable Maul can be.

"I'll see to it, immediately…! Thank you for your time, princess Twilight."The stallion bowed and flew off to meet with the weather ponies.

"Thank you for your help, my friend…"Twilight spoke to herself, feeling a loving yearning for forging bonds with her people.

"Twilight…?"Shining Armor was the brave one to quietly call her out, letting the siblings see each other for the first time in a long time.

Once they locked eyes with each other, the siblings did not know what to say. Same could be said between Cadence and Twilight, it had been so long since they saw each other. As much as they seemed the same, there was no denying the fact that things have definitely changed.

"Shining…? Cadence…?"

 _ **A cliff hanger ending, yep. Need to keep you all on your toes some how, at least it's part of it. But what I can truly do to help keep you guys entertained is listen to you guys, so feel free to suggest some stuff, but be appropriate. What could I do to help make this story a bit better without sacrificing the story concept? Stay pony every one.**_


	23. Chapter 22:The Truth About Blank

Chapter 22:The Truth About Blank

As the great rainbow castle cast it's great shadow, only for it's magical rainbow glitters made the darkness fade away. It showed the path for the arrivals that were rushing to see the princess of friendship. Two ponies and their daughter who have been in the dark as was the royal sisters. They were oblivious to the rising darkness that was in Equestria, like a hidden cancer to the world. Slowly infecting Equestria, and Ponyville had been the front line that fought off this evil.

These two bringers of love itself had questions for Twilight, just like Celestia and Luna. However, Cadence also held a great and shocking truth of her own to give her sister in law. It regarded what she had learned about the new mare in town, Blank Slate, the always adored mare of white. For the longest time she was deemed a mysterious yet gentle spirit that was reviving harmony for Equestria. But she was not what she appeared, she was something else, other than a mysterious pony.

But the time for talk on such things would be save for a little bit later, first they wanted to simply see Twilight. Fifty long years it's been since they have heard anything from Twilight. And this would actually be the first time Flurry Heart would truly meet her aunt as a grown mare.

"I can't believe I'm finally going to see her! I could barely remember anything about my aunt,"Flurry Heart decided to talk about what she knew about Twilight with Blank,"She was said to be the princess of friendship, the true bringer of harmony and peace!"

Blank politely nodded to her speculation after what she herself experienced with Twilight. She was a mere foal at the time that Twilight was around to see her, to play with her, and love her. Now she only knew of Twilight from simple stories, and the mystery of her disappearance. She herself tried to learn what she could from her aunt's accomplishments in the past. So many could be accounted for, but they were not achieved without her friends, five friends that were no longer among them.

"What was she like to you so far? It she still herself? Is she older? Does she still have her dragon, Spike?!"Flurry started asking questions about what Blank knew of Twilight.

Blank only gave a so and so gesture with her hooves, most things were positive and true. It was also true that Spike was still with them, and he was not the same pot bellied baby dragon the Crystal rulers would remember. But Twilight actually looks about the same age as Flurry Heart currently was. There was a lot that they would have to take in before they got to the door. They stopped at the door and looked it over, the castle didn't look too different from what it was like fifty years ago.

There was no dust, so it was currently being kept in good condition, even after half a century. Seemed to shine and even show signs that rainbow magic still sparkled within it's roots. Shining started to get the jitters, seeing his sister after so long felt like it could go either way. There's no knowing how much has changed since Ponyville was cut off from the other kingdoms.

"I got it…! Hope she doesn't mind visitors after fifty year."Shining Armor decided to be the one to knock on the door and hope for an answer.

They waited for several minutes, Flurry and Blank were even able to catch up to them. Then they finally perked up before boredom could settle, all thanks to the creak of the door unlocking. With it, they became the next pair of old friends to see the large teen dragon that was Spike. He was agape with a wide jaw of shock, while Cadence's eyes widened when seeing the purple dragon slightly towering over Shining Armor. Clearly some things have changed for Ponyville and it's people.

"Shining Armor! Princess Cadence! It's great to see you again!"Spike excitedly greeted the two with a gentle hug to avoid damaging his body that was still in recovery.

His arms may have been a bit weak still, but they could still wrap completely around the both of them. They stood their, slowly accepting the hug from a grown up Spike that felt so strong. But his friendly behavior proved that he was still the same dragon they knew when he himself saved the Crystal Empire.

"Spike…! You uh… You grew up quite a bit."Cadence admitted while slowly rubbing his back that had scales that felt so much denser and stronger than his baby dragon scales.

"Yeah, you're quite the big dragon now…! Certainly no baby dragon anymore…!"Shining admitted, feeling a bit reluctant to believe that even Spike had changed.

"Yeah, Fifty years will do that to a dragon. Princess Celestia and Luna were surprised too,"Spike cleared his throat and scratched the back spikes on his head,"Um… Please, come in! Twilight's probably upstairs touching up on her reading for today."

He paused and suddenly saw Blank coming, along with quite the beautiful young mare. An Alicorn mare that is, and she had quite a bit of resemblance to Cadence. From her pink fur to her multicolored mane and tail, and her matching brass horse shoes and necklace. This could be only one other pony that carried such a form, such an appearance, and the blood of an Alicorn. After fifty years, he finally got to see the grown mare that the newborn Flurry Heart grew into.

"Is that…who I think it is…! Flurry Heart?"Spike walked out of the castle, leaving the castle open to the couple as he approached the mare.

"Do I know you?"She asked once she noticed the approaching large dragon bandaged and was a bit slow moving.

"Flurry, you remember that statue of the small baby dragon holding the crystal heart, right?"Shining Armor asked and she slowly nodded once she recalled a certain statue at the Empire.

"This is him… He's just… A lot older, I guess…!"Cadence finished as the dragon hugged the younger mare.

"That little dragon is you? You're the savior of the crystal heart?"Flurry asked while Blank took interest in an accomplishment of Spike's.

"Yeah… Age gets to all of us eventually. Even you,"Spike responded and held her cheeks to see Flurry's grown up and majestic face,"You've become quite the beautiful young mare. Just wait till Twilight sees you. She's gonna do back flips seeing you again, Flurry."

Spike was pushing for this meeting with this arrival of the crystal rulers and their daughter. He finally released Flurry, and rushed to the doors to open them completely for the others. He then insisted that they followed, and Blank assisted by giving Flurry a nudge to follow.

"Come on! We can't keep Twilight waiting!"Spike insisted while the couple looked at each other for a moment.

They then watched Blank pulling Flurry into the castle, and their minds were made up. They followed Flurry Heart into the castle, this was their first time back in the castle after half a century. It seemed normal, and familiar, but it did appear to have been cleaned and refurbished recently. There was a clean new castle smell about it, and what was most surprising was the servants. The castle never had servants before, but they did appear to be friendly and very dedicated to their work.

Some took notice of the princess of love and her prince strolling into the castle. And they kindly took a moment from their duties and kindly bowed to them in respect for what they did. The couple felt flattered, but at the same time a bit nervous to see this change to the castle.

"We welcome you to the castle your majesties. The princess of friendship awaits you in her library."A Pegasus mare informed the two and confirmed what Spike had said.

"Your love will be such a blessing to us all…! Please enjoy your stay here."A stallion earth pony followed up before Spike called to them from the start of the steps.

"If you have to, feel free to explore, but remember. Try not to keep Twilight waiting!"Spike called before walking up the steps to go inform the princess of friendship.

"This place looks amazing! I don't remember the castle being this big on the inside."Flurry Heart admitted while spinning around the main hall once Blank released her.

"Yes, it does feel a bit different. Looks the same, but doesn't feel the same."Cadence noticed that there was a vital part missing from this castle.

"Yeah… Feels as if there's harmony but… Not complete harmony…!"Shining noticed the off balance of a harmonic atmosphere around the castle.

"I think I know why…"Cadence revealed before they were interrupt by the kind stallion.

"While you explore the castle. Would you care to be shown your rooms,"The stallion offered to show the family of Crystal Empire rulers their rooms,"They and ourselves will accommodating you to the best of our ability during your stay here at the castle."

"That's…very kind of you, sir. Please, guide the way if you wish."Cadence politely accepted the gentle colt like offer the stallion gave.

So they followed the stallion on a small journey up the stairs and into the upper levels. They saw an assortment of other maidens working in the first hallway they were lead down. Twilight usually wasn't one for using servants, nor did she usually need servants to keep her castle together. Then again, perhaps this wasn't so much a case of wanting servants to help around the castle. Perhaps it was something else, after all, the good moods and friendly behavior the servants displayed meant she was quite the kind soul to them.

Twilight was a good mare, but this level of kindness was far more than what she was known for. Then a thought struck Cadence, she had learned the truth of what happened to Twilight's friends. It then seemed so obvious, perhaps she was lonely, and the loss of her friends was harder on the friendship princess than they knew.

"Quite the place you ponies maintained here. Twily must be pleased about the work you do."Shining struck up a conversation to break this awkward silence.

"Thank you, the princess wished for all the help she could get in bringing this castle back to it's former glory."The stallion responded so gently as sunlight glinted against their shoulders.

"Really? Back then, all Twilight ever needed was her friends to help keep everything in order."Cadence incited a bit of what she knew about how Twilight operated.

"Yes… Her friends… Sadly they were taken away from her by the wicked black mare."The stallion replied to the assumption, understanding their curiosity for some story.

"Maul, right? The crazy shadow we saw looming over the forest."Shining Armor assumed and the stallion shivered at her name.

"We've seen her darkness. And it is as hateful as hate can possibly be."Cadence added, remembering the clear feeling of agony brought upon her by Maul's sheer hate.

"I know… Now only the princess of friendship, and the mare of white can face this fiend."Blank felt a bit flattered as she hung behind the couple to give them space.

"You mean, Blank? Does any pony know where she came from?"Flurry curiously wanted to know a bit about the new friend she already made.

"From what has been foretold, Blank had us believe that she came from a shrine,"The stallion decided to explain since Blank was a mute and could only do so much for others to understand,"The very shrine where the princesses five friends were laid down to rest."

"Of course… She is them after all."Cadence quietly unveiled a truth to her husband.

"What? What's that suppose to mean…?"Shining Armor asked while making sure to keep his voice down in front of the white mare herself.

"The white mare…! She's not just a mare. She's all five of Twilight's friends,"Cadence explained what she saw when she dove deep into the mind of Blank,"Blank is just a puppet created by what was left of the other mare's spirit…!"

"That's a bit of a harsh assumption. She seems real enough, and she seems to be her own kind of mare."Shining didn't agree with the idea that Blank was not a true pony of her own right.

"I'm telling you…! She's not real…! She's just…a blend of her friends. Made to be with her, even after they had passed…"Cadence insisted that this was the case with the white mare.

"Let's not go into this right now. We haven't even seen Twilight yet,"Shining pushed for them to drop this uncharted territory of a discussion,"Last thing I want is for us to start insulting and making assumptions on who could possibly be her only friend…!"

This made Cadence go silent, in a way her husband was right to end the thought early on. They should not be so fast to question everything they have learned so far, and make assumptions. This was their first time back in Ponyville, and they should not spoil it for their suspicions on certain matters. So they continued on until they were finally brought into a much bigger two door room.

"Here we are. Twilight asked that we try to prep a suite for the both of you. Completed with two double beds,"The stallion explained the suite that Twilight merely requested rather than demanded,"Plenty of space and two closets. Hope you will both find it to your liking."

"Thank you, sir. We appreciate your tour to our room and some of your insight."Cadence politely showed appreciation for the stallion's kindness.

"Anytime, sir. I'm certain Spike is informing princess Twilight of your arrival. So she should arrive to greet you within moments."The servant informed before letting the couple and their daughter enter the room.

Blank stood before the doors to wave them off, and Flurry did the same for her. Cadence politely smiled at the kind mare's courtesy, but she still felt a sense of eeriness and discomfort. Believing that the pony she was looking at was a mere shell preserving the souls of Twilight's fallen friends. They then closed the door to situate themselves, leaving Blank out in the hallway alone. Her ears lowered, for she had picked up on the strange emotions Cadence was showing, it gave her a small shiver.

It was as if she was suddenly not welcomed in the view of this princess of love. Or at the very least, it was like she did not belong among others, she felt a sudden cold clutch of loneliness. But before it could start to truly effect her, she heard the hooves of stallion that she just could not get enough of. Young Toffee Cake was panting and out of breath, but he finally caught up to them. After he was forced to take a break, showing that he did not have the energy that Blank did.

"I made it…! Sorry I kind of fell behind quite a bit. You get around a lot…!"Toffee panted and finally fell on his flank to catch his breath again.

She was surprised that he at least wanted to try and keep up with her. She felt a little bad that she couldn't just tell him that he could go home so he could rest, but part of her didn't want him to leave. So she simply waited for a moment and helped him back up to his hooves.

"I uh… May have started a bit of a confusion down stairs… I uh… Just wanted to say… Thanks for the date,"Toffee admitted that he himself enjoyed the time they spent together,"I…hope we can do this again some time… Till then, I better get back to my dad and aunt."

He made to leave slowly, happy to have known the mare of white a bit more deeply. Then suddenly, the moment was prolonged for just a bit longer, for perhaps an hour more. As the white mare hugged his arm and slowly began to pull him off to the only place she could think of taking him. It was off to say hello to Twilight, and introduce Toffee more directly to Twilight.

* * *

 _The Old Castle_

Maul slept, or at least she tried to from within her in the old castle of the royal sisters. Her attempts to slumber were plagued with nightmares and horrid voices, voices of her five victims. They spoke not of her deeds, but of their own deeds that once made them flawed. From Rainbow Dash's non stop bragging and inflated pride, to Fluttershy's crippling fear of anything. Rarity's horrid judgment and despise for all things dirty, and Applejack's stubborn and narrow thinking, it was all disturbing.

Her body trembled, listening to their comments about fearing the dark. Being better than other ponies, and not liking different things, to see this other side of Twilight's friends was nightmarish. And with each disturbing thing she heard made dark mist exert from her body and flow into the air. She whimpered, all this negativity was what she always represented, but she hated it. For once, just one bit of love and positive feeling helped her relax and ignore the negative things.

Pinkie Pie's loud and bubbly laughter hurt the mare's ears, while Fluttershy screamed. It was as if she was being tortured, when she was simply afraid of her own shadow, but her fear became Maul's fear. She swallowed and gripped her chair, as it began to blacken and decay from under her body.

" _I'm the greatest Pegasus in the world! Especially better than you!"_

" _You filthy cretin! I can't even LOOK at you!"_

" _Stay out of my way, and don't be messing with my work!"_

" _The ghosts! The darkness! It's all coming!"_

" _It will be a joke to DIE for!"_

As Maul whimpered and tried to block the voices out, she finally let out a scream. Her darkness crumbled apart her chair, her own evil tormenting her with the negative emotions of the mares she killed. It was too much, and she finally erupted from her chair before falling from it. Smoke erupted from her, and blasted through the roof before going into the sky above the forest. She rolled a bit down before her eyes snapped open to look around at the mess she had made of the castle.

Her own chair crumbled to rubble from her dark magic that worked like a poison. She sat up and panted at the sudden occurrence, all thanks to the nightmares she had before her mind snapped. It was finally too much, and she needed this trouble to end before she was driven completely insane. There was only one thing that was going to help treat her disturbed and dark mind. She needed the love she was deprived of, and only one pony could give her that love and comfort.

"I need her…! I…NEED…HER! MOTHER…!"Her screamed as her shadow self in the sky screamed with her in a rage.

 _ **This one may appear a bit rushed unless I do end up filling in a bit more so I'm not ruining the story, so I apologize for that. I really am trying here, and I'm going to keep trying, even when I hit rough waters and writers blocks. And I'm always going to appreciate your patience for me, every one, thank you. Stay pony every one.**_


	24. Chapter 23: Not A Real Pony

Chapter 23: Not A Real Pony

The family walked the halls with Blank and Toffee hanging behind them. Watching the three talk among themselves, speaking of unknown secrets that were making Blank extremely curious. Cadence seemed so nice and up for talking, she even wanted to know more about what happened. But now she was more secretive, and she seemed a bit nervous or perhaps uneasy around the white mare. This only made the mare of white even more curious, what could this love princess know?

"Are you sure you want me to hang out a little bit more? It looks like things are going to get a bit busy for you and the princess,"Toffee was a bit nervous about being around during a complicated time,"I don't want to be a distraction if the princess may need you."

Blank simply smiled and held his hoof to promote him to stay a bit longer. For she in truth was simply a bit overwhelmed by these strange emotions she never had the chance to understand. She needed to just linger in these feelings just a bit more, try to understand what she was feeling. This took her mind off the crystal rulers, allowing them to converse with more comfort. Cadence certainly felt the need to keep talking, for there were more questions filling her mind about Twilight and Blank.

"How was all this possible? How did all of this come to pass?"She wondered quietly with her husband while making sure Blank couldn't hear the both of them.

"I don't know. Twily would never let evil progress this far and deep into Equestria,"Shining Armor admitted his lack of knowledge for what could have happened,"Something could have happened to her as well, especially if her friends aren't here any more…"

"I wonder if this white mare has something to do with it all…"Cadence wondered before they suddenly stopped a moment to finish up their conversation.

"She doesn't feel evil. In fact, she kind of reminds me of Flurry when she was a child,"Shining incited about the mysterious mare,"You know? With her preference to be quiet, very curious, but very encouraging."

"That worries me as well. Something this innocent surviving under such darkness. She had to have meant something to all this,"Cadence glanced back over her daughter's shoulder to see Blank,"I wish her friends could have told me more than what they did…"

"Is everything ok up here?"Flurry Heart questioned the well being of her parents due to their secrecy.

"All is well, Flurry. We're just wondering about the-"The couple were cut off from reassuring their daughter once double doors had suddenly began to open before them.

A moment passed before Spike walked out with his head hunched between his shoulders. For he had just been given a scolding for being out of bed while still recovering from his injuries. And right behind him came the mare of the hour, Twilight Sparkle walked right out with the dragon. Directing him towards the next hallway, as the family looked in awe at her appearance. Like Cadence, Twilight truly was unchanged, immortality kept her from growing any older than she was the day she became an Alicorn.

"Now go get back in bed. You need to stay resting until you're all healed up…!"Twilight pushed the young dragon into the direction of his room.

"Ok, ok. Just wanted to tell you that Cadence, Shining Armor, and Flurry are here,"Spike put his claws up to show no resistance before seeing the family themselves standing behind them,"See? They're right there!"

Twilight ceased up and slowly turned around, where she then faced the crystal family. It was hard to believe at first, it was like she hardly recognized them at first, but then the memories came. All the memories of the friendship, the love, the compassion these three shared together. And then Flurry Heart came into view, a pony she had not seen since she was but a small foal. Spike manage to sneak away, leaving Twilight to find the words to express her happiness to see them.

"Shining… Cadence… It's been too long…!"Twilight shyly greeted the couple as they noticed her shy approach.

"Twily…! It's been forever,"Shining Armor was the first to wrap his sister up into a long awaited hug,"Fifty long years…! We've been worried about you."

"Your people already told us what had happened. We're so glad you made it,"Cadence joined the group hug while Flurry looked on with a bit of shyness to see her aunt after so long,"Are you ok? What has this Maul done so far?"

"I… It's kind of hard to…explain… We'll,"She cut herself off the moment she saw Flurry Heart and finally recognized her eyes and the mane she sported,"Flurry Heart…? Is that really you?! My goodness!"

Twilight stopped hugging the crystal couple, and rushed right to her niece. She froze at first, seeing that her niece was no longer that purely innocent foal with quite the sparkling smile. She was now a grown mare, she was almost like a different pony all together, grown and full of magic. Twilight quickly grasped her cheeks, making things a bit strange for the family. As she looked all over the details and looked into Flurry's eyes, she had all the same memorable features, but she still seemed so different.

"My gosh your all grown up…! You turned out so beautiful, look at you…!"Twilight spoke with such gentle joy to see her niece at long last.

"Uh…thanks, Aunt Twilight. You look…very pretty yourself…!"Flurry blushed with embarrassment for being looked at so thoroughly by her own family.

"Thank you…! My goodness…! Tell me, can you fly? How good are you with magic? Can you use the magic of love?"Twilight let Flurry go and looked all around her, letting questions fly for Flurry to answer.

"Uh…yes, yes, and no…? I'm kind of still a bit new to love magic…"Flurry responded before concern grew from her parents.

"Have you at least gotten your very own crown, or maybe some royal attir-"Twilight wanted to ask even more questions.

"Twilight!"Shining Armor cleared his throat and got her attention with a solid raise of his voice.

"Could we perhaps discuss this in private? There's so much more we have to discuss,"Cadence put on a more reasonable tone of voice to convince her of more pressing matters,"I mean… There's so much we have to talk about, questions that need answers…!"

"Oh… Of course. I guess there's no hiding what Ponyville has endured for decades,"Twilight admitted and finally got off her niece's case,"We can discuss this in my bedroom over some tea, we can also…"

She slowly derailed from the conversation once more the moment she saw Blank. And she was with a stallion now less, a curious and new sight to behold, but never the less exciting to see. She quickly rushed towards her friend, eager to meet the new friend Blank appeared to have made.

"Welcome back, Blank! Did you enjoy a mare's day out with the crusaders?"Twilight quickly met up with the white mare, and Blank excitedly hugged her before nodding.

She then noticed Toffee standing right next to Blank, looking a bit nervous to meet the princess once more. It took her a moment, but she then recognized his face, and smiled bigger.

"I see you caught up with the gentle colt that helped us with Maul."Twilight noticed, while Toffee politely bowed.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, your majesty. Blank wanted me to stay a little bit longer,"Toffee admitted that he was here thanks to the white mare,"We had fun, but I should really be getting back to work."

Blank looked at him and held his hoof, she didn't want him to go just yet. Twilight took notice, especially once her cheeks went flush with red once more, revealing an interesting feeling. Cadence could see it too, the love Blank was feeling for Toffee, but could not understand it in the slightest.

"Agreed. Blank, Toffee needs to go home and take care of his family business,"Twilight took up Blank's hoof from Toffee and got the mare to pay attention to her words,"There will be other times to see him. I know these new feelings are very new to you, but you have to be patient and let them grow slowly…"

Cadence was shocked by how Twilight treated Blank, it was like a mother teaching her child about love. Usually that was her thing to spread and teach, but the way Twilight did it was passionate. It also gave her insight to how Twilight felt for the mysterious mare.

"I can visit again Thursday if you'd like?"Toffee offered, now that he understood Blank's behavior with him.

"That would be perfect! We'll have something set up for the visit."Twilight agreed while Toffee tried to compose himself from the adored time he had with the mare of white.

"Cool… See you later, Blank. Can't wait to see you again."Toffee replied and finally was able to leave down the hallway.

Blank waved to Toffee as he disappeared down the hall, with a quiet sigh she turned back to Twilight. Who finally released her hooves once she had nodded and accepted Twilight's advice.

"Now why don't you go see Spike, and make sure he stays in bed for a change?"Twilight suggested and Blank didn't even need a moment to think before nodding.

She then kindly walked passed Twilight and the crystal family on her way to Spike. She wore a smile, appreciating the words that helped her grasp a sense of self control in herself. Something that made her feel even more like a real pony, she even bounced in a very familiar pattern. Something that only worried Cadence more before the mystery mare disappeared down the hall. Leaving the family with Twilight, who then decided to take the lead, and be their guide.

"Please, follow me. We can talk in my room. It'll be great to finally sit down with all of you again,"Twilight explained and gestured them to follow, they did so in kind,"It's wonderful to have you all in my home again, after all this time…!"

Twilight now walked with her brother, her sister in law, and her niece after all this time. She really was going to start reconnecting with those she still had in this world, her heart needed this reconnection. To finally be with her teacher, her sister, and now her brother, wife, and niece once again. Perhaps all really could be healed within her heart at long last, but first she needed to sit them down and talk with them. And learn what has become of them since she shut down and isolated herself from the world.

She immediately threw open the doors to her bedroom and set up a table with tea and sugar for her guests. The princess was fast to make it to her seat while her magic prepared the tea. The oddly energetic behavior to prepare things for them, it was a bit new for them to see from Twilight. It was almost like a form of desperation, perhaps a means to quickly make them comfortable. Perhaps she was already afraid to lose them, after all she's clearly lost a lot since Maul's arrival.

"Please…! Sit down, sit down. You have GOT to tell me everything,"Twilight insisted while yanking chairs up for the family of three to sit in,"Oh the things I've missed. The ceremonies of the Empire's freedom. Flurry's birthdays! I missed fifty years of birthdays!"

"Uh…that's ok, Twilight. Really it is."Cadence tried to calmly bring the friendship princess down from this frantic moment.

"No…! It's not. I've completely neglected all of my family for the longest time,"Twilight insisted and searched for something while the family nervously sat down,"Oh… Where is it? I know I kept it secret for the longest time for just the right moment…! There!"

After scowering a closet, she managed to find a special all piece of her past. An old Tiara like crown of gold and tiny purple gemstones, with a pure gold six star indent in the center piece. This was the crown that once beared a gem known as an element of harmony, the element of magic no less. This crown that first help give birth to new harmony in Equestria over fifty years ago. It no longer held the gem itself, but it's meaning remained, making it the perfect gift for Flurry.

"Here! As a means of apologizing for missing out on so much of your life."Twilight rushed over with the crown and offered it up in both hooves.

"Is this…your old crown? The one that once held the element of magic?"Flurry was slow to pick up the famous crown.

"It is indeed. I had to sacrifice the gem to the tree of harmony to save Equestria from the Ever Free's growth,"Twilight explained while Flurry was hesitate about putting it on her head,"But it will always be a great reminder of where my story towards a bringer of harmony began."

"Twilight…!"Cadence tried to get Twilight's attention, but her voice fell on deaf ears.

"Try it on…! See if it fits. You deserve it more than I do these days."Twilight encouraged Flurry to try the crown on, and she obliged by slowly placing the crown on her head.

"Twily, we need to talk-"Shining tried to get Twilight's attention as well to no avail.

"See? It looks amazing on you. We just need to fit it with a gem that matches the six stars,"Twilight was distracted with trying to rekindle with her niece after so long,"What is your favorite color? We could find the proper gem and refine it for the crown."

"it's blue…! But, you really don't need to, this is already amazing!"Flurry showed her appreciation for Twilight's gift.

"Non sense, one day. You're going to be a bringer of love. And you need just the right look for every pony to see,"Twilight insisted upon perfecting this gift for her niece,"We have a jewelry store here, perhaps the owner could-"

"Twilight!"Cadence raised her voice, making the room silent for a moment until Twilight finally acknowledged her.

"We'd like to talk about what happened over the past fifty years. Please, just tell us."Shining Armor begged for the real conversation to start, it was needed after all.

"Oh… Of course. I guess there's no prolonging the talk."Twilight sighed and went to her seat to sit down, and tell the tale.

She only told them what she was able to tell Celestia and Luna. The rest was only for her to know and wallow in with shame, they didn't need to know the blood and death that followed. The fall of her friends was on her, and it was a past she could not change or bring herself to speak of. So she relayed only the essentials, from the enemy they faced, to her origin, and what she was doing. Why she was doing all this was a mystery still, and Twilight could only fear what the purpose was.

By the end of her tale, the family only felt a sense of fear for Maul, especially after witnessing her hatred. That pure unbridled hate was enough to make Cadence weak both mentally and physically. For hatred was the opposite of love, and proved to be an equally powerful emotion.

"This was my fault, I made her thinking it would help my friends, but it only got them killed,"She was concluding her explanation after nearly ten minutes,"So I had shut down for the longest time, unable to use magic to stop her… Then Blank came…"

"Blank… Do you…know about her? Where she came from? Who she is? What she is?"Cadence asked, wanting to learn what Twilight knew about the mare of white.

"She's a friend, brought to life by my friends. And she brought back my spirit to fight for Equestria,"Twilight started to explain what she viewed Blank Slate as,"And I'll always value what she has given back to me, and Ponyville. She will never be forgotten, neglected or killed."

"That…didn't answer my questions…"Cadence noticed a form of dancing around the question.

"What…? What do you mean? The whole, Who and what she was,"Twilight was confused and did not understand the odd question about Blank,"She's a special pony, strong, loving, kind, loyal, laughable…"

"Honest? And generous?"Cadence suddenly stood up and answered the rest of the question.

"Well…yeah…! Why are you asking me this?"Twilight asked of Cadence, feeling a sense of discomfort about her friend being brought into question.

"Honey, now might not be the time to tell her this."Shining Armor did not like that his wife was going into a personal issue with Twilight about Blank.

"Twilight…! We know what Blank really is. She's not just a pony your friends made. She IS your friends."Cadence revealed the conclusion of what she learned from her moment with the white mare.

Shock was growing inside and out, Twilight immediately felt complete disbelief. Her own friend was being accused of not being a pony made by her friends, but a simple embodiment of her friends.

"That's... That's ridiculous. My friends are... Are... They would never deceive me like that."Twilight wanted to deny such an accusation.

"I saw them within her. She's carrying their spirits withing her, and they're controlling her. Like a puppet,"She explained while Twilight remained in awe at this sudden information she was being fed,"I know she seems real, but she's just another creation made from your friends, just like Maul."

"Why are you telling me this…?!"Twilight demanded a reason for being forced to hear these words.

"Because I'm not sure if she can be trusted…"

 _ **The results of this truth will change the course of what is to come in the future of this story, believe it. Hope you guys have been sticking around even when I kind of left for a bit, thanks to an ailment mixed with writer's block. I'll try my best to get back into the swing of things, apologies for the long wait.**_


	25. Chapter 24:What Is Real?

Chapter 24:What Is Real?

"None sense! How could you both say such a thing?!"Twilight huffed as she suddenly stormed out of the room, with her brother and sister and law trying to flag her down.

"Twily, it's not like we meant to hurt you, but it's the truth. Blank isn't a true pony."Shining tried to explain what the issue had been, and why it was an issue.

"She's just a fusion of your friends souls, and such creations can be very unstable,"Cadence added, and Twilight attempted to look away from them after such words,"You don't know what could happen with her. We just asked that you be careful around her, cause you don't know if-"

"If what?! If she'll end up like Maul? She won't! She's not like that…!"Twilight turned to that, showing fierce defense over her friend.

"You don't know that! You don't know what had to happen to make her…!"Shining argued as Flurry stepped on out of the room to see what was happening.

"Flurry… Go…check on Spike. We need some time alone with your aunt."Cadence insisted, and Flurry was quick to agree and quietly run off to find Spike.

"I know she's our friend, and just like my friends. She's been loyal, kind, generous, honest, and full of laughter,"Twilight continued to be the defender of the white mare,"And she didn't even need a voice to do it."

"Twily… You're being naive about this. We get it, you found a friend that could fill the hole where the others use to be,"Shining Armor insisted that he understood that issue with Twilight,"But she's not going to replace them, and if you're not careful… You may end up dying too."

"Blank, won't do that…! She's different…! Now if you're going to keep insulting her you can leave!"Twilight warned what further conducts would result in if they persisted with the information they had.

"Twilight…! We don't want to leave you. You and the royal sisters are all we have left."Cadence insisted while Twilight turned around to face away from them.

"Then leave Blank out of the conversation…! She made this revival and prosperity possible,"Twilight informed them formally to try and tuck away her anger,"It wouldn't be smart to mock her for not being real in front of all Ponyville's citizens."

"Fine…!"Shining Armor had a sense of outrage brewing in his chest for his sister's stubbornness.

"No… Just let it go, for now…"Cadence was thankfully able to cool his head and continue their walk around the castle.

"We will be eating soon…! I hope there won't be any more issues or attempts to cause mistrust about my friend,"Twilight warned with her eyes closed, not looking where they were going,"She may not be real to the two of you, but she'll always be real to me…!"

The winds of fate blew in that moment, and thanks to Twilight not paying attention. She smacked her muzzle straight into Blank's, the white mare stood in place with a confused look on her face. While Twilight backed away and rubbed her muzzle in pain and opened her eyes. Just to feel her heart drop, seeing the confused mare standing before her, did she over hear them? This was the question she hoped would be a big no, or else there was no knowing what would happen to Blank.

She simply just stood there, not knowing what to think while Twilight nervously smiled. Cadence and Shining Armor simply tried to act calm and casual, whistling conspicuously and looking the other way. While Twilight was desperate to find the way to reassure the mare that all was fine.

"Hey, Blank! Is…Spike doing ok,"Twilight asked, and Blank nodded before looking behind her to see Shining and Cadence,"Good! Good...! How…about we prepare some dinner? I almost forgot about dinner!"

"Uh…yeah…! Dinner sounds amazing! It was quite the trip over here, and Shining forgot to eat."Cadence grew nervous as well, wanting to be cautious about upsetting Blank.

"Great! Right this way! Wanna get Spike out of bed so he can join us, Blank?"Twilight asked of her friend, and Blank nodded, managing to show a small smile.

With that, they casually moved on towards the dining hall to prepare for dinner. Leaving Blank to watch them till the moment her friend and the guests disappeared, then her smile did the same. For she had heard everything, from the heated argument, to the couples cautious opinion of her. She grasp her heart, feeling a strange cold pit in it, and a slight dull pain that came with it. Yet another feeling she did not fully understand, but the spirits within her did, and they were quick to answer.

"Don't let what they say get to ya. They just don't understand why yer here."Applejack coached the mare, only for Blank to retort with an honest question to respond.

"But…why am I here…? Harmony is back in Ponyville and…Twilight seems to be doing better."

"No…she really isn't…! But she's very close to being her old self again."Fluttershy incited as Blank swallowed and turned away to go wake up Spike.

Before they knew it, every pony was now sitting at a table within the dining hall. This was the first time in a long time a crowd this big was gathered around the table for a pleasant dinner. Blank sat right next to Twilight, while the family of three sat to their left quietly. Spike sat to the right, and just next to Twilight, completely unaware of the strange atmosphere in the room. Tea had been served to help wet their appetites and distract them just long enough for the food to be prepared.

Every pony was quiet at first, but conflict was brewing within the white mare. Her own existence was now in question, she carried the souls of the five friends, but now it seemed that this made her unnatural. A conduit, a puppet, or a simple pawn of the elements, fulfilling an unknown purpose. She was desperate for answers, but the spirits insisted that she did not bother with it. Her hooves trembled at the sense of resilience, but she manage to over power the influence and ask for herself.

She did this by simply nudging Twilight's shoulder to get her attention,

"Yes? You need more tea, Blank?"Twilight asked, only to watch as Blank wrote a little question on the table with her magic.

" _Am I real?"_

"What…? Of course you're real…! I can clearly see you right in front of me."Twilight quietly insisted to prevent prying eyes from seeing them.

However, this was not entirely the case, for it took a moment before another friend came to mind. The innocent, and shy way Blank tried to ask the question, it reminded her so much of Fluttershy. She swallowed, for in one moment, it looked as if Blank quickly took the form of Fluttershy in her eyes. The vanilla colored fur and the three butter flies on her flank, the long pink mane and tail. Twilight needed to shake her head a bit before she was properly looking at Blank once more.

"Yeah…! All I'm seeing in front of me is you, Blank Slate. You got nothing to worry about."Twilight quickly refocused her thoughts and insisted that Blank was a real pony.

Blank looked back to the table, and into her cup of tea to contemplate the princess's words. For they did not sound sincere, her hesitation before answering said quite a bit more than she knew. But Blank stayed quiet, remembering what Cadence and Shining Armor said before. The last thing she wanted was to start any drama that would ruin Twilight's chances to reconnect with her family. She needed to swallow her personal struggle, and support Twilight, for the sake of their friendship.

She then decided to offer some sugar cubes for the tea of Cadence and her husband. She was hesitate to accept it, but gave a soft and nervous smile to take the sugar in her tea. Shining Armor cleared his throat, and decided to speak with Spike rather than Twilight, seeing as she was already mad at them.

"So…Spike…! What have you been eating to make you get so large and tall?"Shining admitted curiosity for how Spike went from a pudgy baby dragon to an adolescent guard of the castle.

"Just gems, and the occasional feast of bugs here and there. They're great for protein!"Spike admitted, happy to talk with Shining all about his life.

"Great to hear, you turned out alright from the looks of it. Now you actually protect this place,"Shining encouraged such a change in the dragon, for it was the sign of a true stallion or dragon,"You've grown into one hay of a dragon. Sorry you had to be forced into growing up so fast for Ponyville."

Twilight paused at the notion, as if it sounded like a form of mockery for her not taking good care of Spike in those times. She was slow and gentle to put her tea down, but Blank could sense the tension just as the spirits within could.

"It's nothing, really. I had to step up for Twilight, and do what I could to make life a little bit easier…"Spike admitted, hoping to set the ponies at ease.

"Still, it had to have been rough having to grow up after…what happened with this dark mare,"Shining still had the need to address his concern for the dragon,"A kid shouldn't have been through that."

"Trust me, it's fine."Spike insisted while Twilight gave a huff.

"He turned out just fine, no need to question or dwell on such things with numerous questions."Twilight insisted that they moved on to another topic.

"Well some pony needed to address the situation while the other shut down all this time…!"He finally needed to profess a bit of his resentment and irritation for Twilight's lack of responsibility.

"What's that suppose to mean…?!"Twilight questioned, but was immediately silenced by the doors swinging open, announcing that dinner was here.

"Dinner is serve!"The chef announced, and Blank tried to lighten the mood with some claps of her hooves full of excitement.

They all got nice pleasant five layered salads, the ranch, the cheese, the lettuce, the tomatoes, hay bits. So many layers to mix in after a scoop, along with sauces and other things to add. While Spike got some gems in specific for topping over his own, it had Flurry Heart excited. Cadence even wanted to take a break as a sparkling punch was poured into their wine glasses. Blank however could not enjoy herself yet, because she was now between a heated brother and sister.

"Wow, this salad looks amazing!"Spike admitted, even a grown dragon like himself kept his taste for such things through the years.

"Thank you, Spike. It wasn't easy to make with all the things that happened through the years,"Twilight responded and spited her brother for his judgment on her actions,"It just wasn't as easy to make since before this new hope…!"

"Maybe but it wasn't of your accord. It was others who made this possible, right?"Shining pointed out and got his sister growing more heated.

"Uh…should we get involve?"Fluttershy quietly whispered in Blank's mind.

"You don't know that, so don't try to pretend that you already know EVERYTHING,"Twilight demanded while Blank suddenly felt a sense of secrecy in Twilight,"Blank herself also helped! Where's her credit?"

"You don't know either, so why are you so certain you understand!"Shining argued on, noticing the sudden change in tone, feeling a sense of a secret.

"I just DO know! Blank was brought forth by my friends, and she's meant to save this world!"Twilight continued to defend, and started to unravel.

"Shining, that's enough!"Cadence demanded that her husband control himself in the moment, clearly there was more answers he needed from her than what they got.

"How do you know? How are you so certain!?"Shining questioned, and finally, Twilight exploded as a revelation came to both herself and them.

"Because I was the one who made Blank too!"Twilight shouted through the dining hall, overwhelming Blank's ears and heart with a sudden truth.

Silence took over, and instant regret came with the silence to the princess. The memories of a sudden secret haunting her, something else she had done a mere year after the death of her friends. Slowly, Twilight began to stand up after contemplating what she had just said. She admitted it in front of her family, and she just admitted it in front of Blank, the pony that was now overwhelmed. Hearing a secret that changed everything, there was no destiny intervening, no fate that was responsible for her birth.

"I… I…need to be alone… Please continue eating dinner…!"She begged and quickly fled the dining room to avoid the disappointment she expected for this truth.

Blank objected to such a request, especially after admitting such a thing about her. So she got out of the chair and quickly ran after Twilight, leaving the family of Crystal rulers behind. Cadence sighed, shaking her head in disappointment for both Twilight and Shining Armor. She burst open the doors and quickly ran after Twilight, desperate for answers, but then something tried to stop her. A plea from one of the spirits themselves, they suddenly tried to control her, and keep her from Twilight.

"Wait…! Just let her go…! We didn't mean for you to learn this, it was suppose to be all about helping Twilight."Applejack suddenly made a plea, and revealed another chunk of the truth, they knew all along.

"She went through so much trouble to even just recall us, we just couldn't let her down!"Rainbow Dash added, and hoped to defend the things Twilight apparently did.

"She…wanted us back so much…She…tried so many things. So…"Fluttershy stammered over her words, as Blank struggled and pulled against their wills.

"Why can't I…move…?"Blank wondered as it took all her strength to move forward against their wills.

"Darling, please. Don't bother her at this point, what's important is that-"Rarity was cut off by a sudden burst of anger, a feeling she had hoped never to feel again.

It was becoming somewhat clear now, perhaps she really wasn't her own pony. For she could now understand this restriction as the wills of the five pulling her back from Twilight. All this time it always seemed like they were in charge, directing her towards friendship with Twilight. But never pushing too hard, it was like a perfect plan for a perfect friend to the princess. Some pony that could appeal to her the same way all her friends did, and thus, Blank was born from their spirits.

"Is it true…? Am I…and are all of you just… A product of Twilight,"Blank moved her lips and spoke clear to the spirits within her,"Am I not real? Just…a product of all of you from her?"

Silence took over for a solid minute, the spirits did not know what to say. Then a shocking and new feeling washed over Blank, something that felt even worse then anger ever did. Tears suddenly started to form and flow, her teeth greeting as her teary eyes met the ceiling. Quiet sobs filled her throat as she trembled and expressed her very first moment of pure sadness. For she had learned a form of a great truth, something she never believed until the truth let Twilight's mouth.

"Blank! Wait! I'm sorry about my parents...! They can be a bit complicated at times,"Flurry was rushing out to try ans meet with the white mare, only to pause when she noticed Blank was frozen,"Are you ok, I know my dad said some things. He just had so much to ask and question my aunt on over what happened, they were just so close and..."

Blank showed no response, she just stood there with visibly trembling legs that was making Flurry grow cold inside. She dared to inch a bit closer to the mysterious mare until she could see the streams of sparkling tears down the side of her left cheek. It took her a moment, but as an heir of the power of love, her heart felt what Blank was feeling, the purest of betrayal and sorrow.

"I really was a puppet, wasn't I…? A no pony… A product of…some pony…I thought was my friend…!"Blank choked up a bit, her magic suddenly left cracks in the floor.

There were no answers once again, and Blank no longer had the patience for it. She finally just took off, pushing Flurry aside silently weeping as she ran through the castle in search of the exit. It was important that the white mare got away from every pony and went somewhere to be alone. She panted through her sobs, fully believing that such a pitiful puppet did not deserve to be among real ponies. Finally she found the exit, bursting through the doors, alarming a couple towns ponies in the process.

Even Toffee was drawn to the noise and looked out the window of his family business. There he saw the mare of his dreams weeping and desperately trying to leave the town. Taking off in a general direction and pushing herself for all the speed she possibly could muster.

"Blank…?!"Worry grew in his voice as he immediately took off his apron and rushed for the door.

"Where you going, son? It ain't time to close up yet."Pound Cake questioned to his son.

"It's Blank, dad! Something's wrong. I'll be back soon!"Toffee yelled and finally rushed out the door to pursue the mare of white.

 _ **And so a new truth was revealed, more insight on the creation of Blank Slate. Further pushing the threshold between what's real and what is not. But in the end, it all depends on you, whether it is right or wrong to believe. There is more to come every pony, so be prepared for a climax to remember. This story is a bit more than half way done, you'll see. Stay pony every one.**_


	26. Chapter 25:Blank's True Mission

Chapter 25:Blank's True Mission

Blank panted, running as far away from the town as she could, she needed to get away. Tears flying like rain drops passed her from the grief of a painful truth, revealed by Twilight. The princess all this time was her maker, just like she was the maker of Maul. The spirits came from her, and they made her as a stand in friend for Twilight, as if she was a mere tool. This truth made her feel all the less like a pony, and more of a simple puppet, her strings being pulled by the spirits.

She only hoped that getting far enough away from all the other ponies would leave only herself. But the spirits continued whispering into her ears, trying to stop her. But such please only drove her further away, and it was making her feel even less like a pony.

"Blank, stop! Please, let us try to explain!"Applejack begged the mare to stop, but she shook her head.

"Darling! I know it's hard to believe, but this was our fault too! We needed to do this,"Rarity tried to explain before they noticed that they were in fact approaching the Ever Free,"We had already abandoned her and broke the magic of friendship. We needed some pony who could put it back together!"

"Ok, no more Ms nice ponies! You're gonna stop this boat!"Rainbow was quick to try and stop Blank.

"Rainbow no!"They all yelled, but she already took control of Blank's back legs.

She forced them to cross and twist together, forcing her to trip once she had stumbled on her front hooves. They all screamed as Blank slammed and rolled down a a hill like a rock. Hitting every divot and bump in the hill, she stopped with a face plant right at the bottom of the hill. Before Blank tried to wrestle for control of her legs, Rainbow Dash did prove to be a fighter. Trying to stiffen up her legs and wrap Blank's own hooves around her, hoping to restrain her.

A self bodied wrestling match ensued, Blank constantly grabbed at her own hooves to restrain them. While Rainbow used them to grab at her, and pin her down. It then devolved into her biting at her limbs and rolling around in the dirt, trying to fight for control. While the other mares constantly yelled at Rainbow Dash to stop pushing so hard to grasp control of Blank. This only infuriated Blank even more, and she fought harder, kicking herself and ramming her head into the hill.

Doing so may her head dizzy and her vision blurry as she stumbled back and finally met a tree. The one singular tree that stood slightly out from the forest itself. She slammed her back against the tree, desperate to find a way to regain control of herself. Then she went with a daring and scary idea, as she growled and ripped a tree branch off the trunk itself. She broke it off till it bared a sharp spear like point, and then aimed it with the one hoof she had right at her neck.

"RAINBOW!"They all screamed, and Rainbow Dash froze once she saw what Blank was threatening to do.

She quivered and shook, holding the sharp stake to her neck, ready to end her life. A desperate attempt to take some sort of control of her life, and without her, the spirits would be forced into the other side again. So Rainbow finally backed off, and released the control to Blank's body. This brought little comfort to the white mare, for the fight seem to prove that she was even more of a puppet. Just a thing that five spirits have been guiding and using since she awoke in the shrine.

She shuddered, her teeth starting to grit, and tears began to flow again after the tension settled. Her life currently hanging in the balance by her own hooves, she choked and coughed as she quietly sobbed over this turmoil within herself. She didn't understand this sorrow, this resentment, but above all, this anger she had against the five spirits.

"Tell me… What…am I…? If I'm not a pony…then what am I?!"Her thoughts screamed at them, as her shaky hooves still held onto the branch.

"You're here to fix the mistake WE made, ok?! And you know what? You already did,"Rainbow Dash yelled at her, making her forearms loosen up by the sudden words,"Yeah! You already did what we should have done fifty years ago, and you're still here! You need any more proof then-"

"Easy… You are your own pony. But right now, you're threatening to kill yourself and us,"Applejack gently pleaded with Blank after cooling Rainbow Dash off,"Please… At least let us explain ourselves… Just…lower the weapon. And let us explain…"

Blank let a few more tears drop before she finally relaxed and dropped the branch. The spirits then gave her a moment to breath until it smoothed out, and she could catch her bearings. She then sat up to wipe her eyes and look at the ground, wondering if she was actually feeling it, or if they were feeling it for her.

"Start talking... And Tell me...! What am I?"Blank demanded.

"Blank… I know you're feeling absolutely terrible, but please understand. This was caused by us,"Fluttershy jumped in and tried to find a way to explain there true issue,"Maul may have started all the fires, but the moment we had returned to the world. We manage to throw so much fuel into the fire."

"Yes, she brought us back, and we did create you in term. But…the thing is…"Rarity started, but couldn't say what truly made it their fault.

"We abandoned, Twilight…! She brought us back, but we ended up leaving her instead!"Applejack finally spoke a new truth that shocked Blank, forcing her to look up.

"You…what…?! Why…?!"Her eyes were wide, she even felt outraged for these mares that were suppose to be Twilight's friends.

"Even we had forgotten what happened back then… months after we had died…"Applejack admitted and started to spin the tale of their Resurrection and destruction of friendship.

* * *

Meanwhile, Twilight sat in the library, gazing out a window in sorrow. Tears streaming as she recalled the screams she unleashed, the very faces of madness she saw on herself. The memory of that very day she had brought back the spirits of her friends out of desperation to keep their friendship alive. Only for her to descend into madness to back fire in the most painful way. She lowered her head, knowing that this old failure has now wounded her friendship with Blank.

"All this time… I thought I had failed. My obsession lead to this old and miserable failure,"Twilight currently spoke to herself within the library, as she looked over some old books she found,"I thought they had simply left when I manage to call them forth… But they never left…"

* * *

 _50 Years Ago_

She remembered that day, her grief only grew from the week after her friends were killed. Their causes of death memorize by what she saw when Maul presented their bodies. Rainbow Dash, stabbed through the heart from the back with a bolt of lightning when ambushed in the middle of a storm. Applejack was viciously beaten to death after Maul approached her one night. She put up a good fight, but nothing seemed to actually hurt Maul, and she was tuckered out and too weak to defend herself.

Pinkie was killed when tricked into throwing a party for Fluttershy, both her and Pinkie were strangled. Rarity too was strangled, but in her sleep when she was at her most vulnerable. Thankfully she was dead before she could experience the reality of death, as if she simply went to sleep and never woke up. Twilight was growing unhealthy and more broken as she read the obituary that was confiscated by those that buried their bodies. It broke her every time, but it also fed her obsession, an obsession to reverse their tragic deaths.

"Why did you all have to die…because of me…?"Twilight asked herself that question while reading the book at a library desk.

She put her head on the desk and began to cry into the obituary out of blind grief. The cold grip of loneliness was tight around her being as she held herself and wept for the longest time. Until she was interrupted by a cup being placed on the desk right in front of her. It gave her a jump scare, but then it turned to more tears when she saw who it was. Spike had manage to get the cup up and on the desk for her to drink, showing his never ending loyalty to her, even in great grief.

"Thank you, Spike… I just… I need to somehow make this right…"She did her best to talk normal through the misery.

"I know… We can't let Maul get away with what she did…!"He walked to her and hugged Twilight's back leg, shaking as he felt sorrow growing within himself as well.

"She won't… But first… We need to fix what she broke in us."Twilight looked back at the book, as a childish and obsessive decision came to be in her head.

"How…?"Spike questioned her bizarre conclusion.

"I'll find a way… To reverse this… To take back what she stole…!"Twilight embraced this unhealthy desire, as she picked up Spike and embraced him to offer comfort..

She could not live with the guilt of her friends demises by the very thing she made. So she went on a mission to bring them back to life, the most unhealthy thing one can do out of grief. For months she had looked up the books of alchemy, the existence of the world beyond and Tartarus. She even dared to look through books of Necromancy, an illegal magical art that could only end in disaster. Thankfully, Spike was there, and he did not approve of Necromancy practices, it was a fight, but he manage to stop her.

So with Necromancy out of the question, she was stuck on the first two books. So the studying went on, and her never ending studies began to take it's toll on her physically and mentally. She never spoke to another pony after what had happened, her social skills plummeted, and her health deteriorated. Only Spike was ever talked to, and he was the only one to give her food and drink. She either slept, studied, or gazed out the window towards the forest with scorn for the darkness that was growing.

Her face roaring from out of the dark clouds that swirled and spread across the forest. It filled Twilight with a dark hatred, one of which would cause yet another big mistake. After several months, she found what appeared to be the answer she was searching for. A book that spoke of rebirth through magical and living connection, her eyes were wide once she read it. It demanded a relic from each of the beings that had since passed on, and it required a great magic to connect them all together.

"Got it…! You're all coming back now…!"She spoke those words, when they were the very first words that had been said in months.

" _With the answer finally given. I was about to recreate a ritual made from the very faith one had in the ones that were lost,"_ Twilight recollected the ritual she learned of in a book about the world beyond that harmonized with Tartarus," _But by that time, I had filled my heart with scorn and hatred for Maul. Turning my faith rotten and withering away to a greedy obsession."_

It had taken her a week, but she had ventured into the Cake's residence, the Apple's farm, Rainbow and Fluttershy's home, and Rarity's boutique. Taking items she knew that her friends valued to this day. Those items, were the necklaces that once carried the gems, known as the Elements Of Harmony. The necklaces no longer carried the gems, but they themselves were gems that represented their friendship. With those items, they served as perfect connections to the other side. And Twilight already had the magical means of performing the ritual, she felt that her faith was perfect.

Now she stood in the old meeting room, where her and her friends oversaw the entire world of Equestria. But now the table was moved, and the necklaces were placed upon the chairs they sat in. With Twilight in the center, she drew a six pointed star with herself in the middle. The star looked a lot like the one on her flank, and the tips of each pointed towards each of the her in the middle, now she needed full concentration, and the memories of her friends to open a rift into the world beyond.

"I offer thee my plea, these ponies were wrongfully taken from this realm by a force of pure evil,"She began a small chant that came off as more of a prayer,"My faith is not misplaced, but my heart has been broken by these losses. I offer you my faith forever more… If you would but give these lost souls one more chance… I beg of you…"

At first, there was nothing but dead silence, not a speck of magic sparked from herself or the star. Then Spike entered the room with tea to offer, but was taken back by the spectacle. The star that mimicked her cutie mark, the old necklaces that sat so still and around her. Or the state Twilight appeared to be in after all these months of isolation and endless studies. Her disheveled mane, the lack of light in her eyes, her stained sweat stained fur, and the shakes her body showed so subtle like.

"Twilight…? What is all this?! I thought we agreed that you would-"

"This isn't Necromancy, Spike. This is a plea ritual to the great beyond! This has to work,"Twilight tried to focus her magic a bit more and try to believe a little bit harder,"I just need to believe… And…show my faith…!"

"Twilight… This… This isn't the way…! Look at you. Look at what you're doing,"Spike watched her magic cloak the necklaces and levitate them, hoping to make this connection,"Do you really think this is what our friends would want? You destroying yourself just to bring them back?"

"They're my friends! They would understand! They were killed by Maul, they deserve another chance."Twilight insisted that this was the best course of action, even if it was a crime against life and death itself.

"But is that really for YOU to decide? What if… What if they don't want to…"He went silent the moment she stomped her hoof and the magic went white.

"Don't say that! Why would they want to just stay dead after what Maul did to them,"She yelled, and the necklaces began to rattle while the star grew white with magic,"Maul caused all this, and we're the ones who suffered for it! I SUFFERED FOR IT! We deserve RETRIBUTION! We deserve justice for all that's happened! SHE DESERVES TO DIE!"

He watched her suddenly breaking down in front of him, all the isolation taking it's toll. Friendship was withering away, and most of it was replaced with hate and vengeance. This wasn't just about her friends, this was about revenge, something that goes against what she once stood for. Her rage grew, showing the darker side of herself, much like the darker side she created from her friend's evil. But suddenly it was working as she screamed, and lost it on Spike.

"I will bring back our friends! I we will destroy my creation! No matter what!"Twilight yelled before the sparks raised from the star and the magic surrounded herself and the necklaces.

Only when the sparks began to fly around her did they realize the ritual was working. The necklaces floated up above the chairs, a swirling white and gold rift suddenly opened from under her. She did not fall in, but her eyes did see a realm within this rift, a realm full of spirits. She swallowed as the rift suddenly shot out five colorful spirits out of it's realm. The five spirits had their own very obvious colors, orange, blue, pink, purple, and vanilla yellow.

The orange one entered Applejack's, the blue one entered Rainbow Dash's, the pink one entered Pinkie Pie's, the purple spirit entered Rarity's, and the Vanilla spirit entered Fluttershy's. This was the perfect sign that it was happening, a smile grew on her face as her eyes trembled. Tears welling up as a little chuckle of pent up emotion escaping her.

"It… It's working! They're coming back! I knew it would work!"She screamed as the wind grew stronger and whirled around the room.

As she said that, the necklaces suddenly shattered to pieces around her, showing an unknown symbolism. The spirits had become brighter and larger, but they stood in place of their necklaces. Watching her as the rift instantly closed up in a sharp flash of magic that was sucked back in. Leaving Twilight surrounded by five spirit, floating around her, witnessing her descent into madness. Silence took over the room, silence, and an uncanny amount of heaviness.

"Girls…? Is it really you…?"Spike dropped the tea and quietly asked the question.

There was a whistle and fluctuation of light from the purple spirit, as if it tried to speak. Twilight watched the spirit direct it's attention to Spike, while Twilight herself approached the orange spirit. The purple spirit made it's way slowly to the baby dragon, giving only whistles and high pitched peeps. He raised a claw out to the spirit, he knew of one mare that deeply valued such a shade of purple. But this still appeared to be too good to be true, it was enough to make his arm quiver.

"Rarity…?"His claws stretched out as far as they could, before finally placing his hand on the spirit.

"Spike… All this time and you're still my Spikey wikey…"The voice of Rarity came forth in place of the spirit language, full of sorrow.

"Rarity…! I can hear you, but… You're…"He tried to think of what to say while he had this miracle floating before him.

"We don't know how we're here, but… We can see why,"Rarity said, as her spirit turned towards the clearly crazed Twilight,"What's happened to Twilight?! She's gone mad!"

"She's… She's been trying to bring you all back…"Spike answered as Twilight began to suddenly laugh.

But this was no innocent laugh, this was a laugh of pure insanity that grew over the months. This made the spirits tremble, as the maniac laughter grew from child like to loud. Loud and crazed, after all this time she had achieved what she had desired all this time, the means of fixing her mistake. Her friends were now around her again, the cold shoulder of loneliness lifting. And now they could fix what Maul broke, by seeking vengeance for what she did to them and her.

"At last…! You're all here…! My friends! I've finally brought you all back,"Twilight soaked in the glory of her magic that brought forth the spirits of her friends,"I just need to take you all to your bodies, and we can fix what Maul broke, and finally destroy this creation of mine."

There were whistles all around her, the spirits were speaking in response to her words. This excited her, it was like they were proclaiming their vengeance towards Maul as well. Twilight then began to laugh again, and her laughter made them grow silent once again. Before they slowly began to approach her, Spike stood back, fearing for what she may do to these spirits. Her mind was breaking apart, and now that she got what she wanted, there was only one thing left to do.

"Your bodies are in a shrine…! Just to the north west of town, I can take you all there,"Twilight insisted as she soon became surrounded by the spirits,"What is it? Is there something you need to say? I guess I can imagine you would after being in the after life and simply being pulled back."

The orange one caught her eye first, it whistled at her and floated before her. Thankfully, Spike had showed her how they could talk to the spirits, a simple touch was all she needed. So she reached out and placed her hoof upon the spirit, and the results were shocking.

"Twilight! What have you done…? What did you become while we were gone…?"Applejack spoke out, and professed a sudden fear for what became of Twilight.

"What…? What are you talking about? I brought you all back? I never stopped looking for a way to save you all,"Twilight insisted that everything she had done was the right things to do,"We can talk more, but now we need to get you all to your bodies. Maul might soon sense what's happened."

She backed away in confusion, only to run her back into the blue spirit.

"You've gone crazy…! This is worse than the rag doll incident."Twilight backed away from the voice of Rainbow Dash.

"What do you mean? I'm completely fine! I've never been better! Now that I have you all back!"Her back hit the yellow spirit, and a whimper sounded.

"But… That isn't what you…said…"Fluttershy pointed out that Twilight's mind set seem to be directed towards revenge rather than friendship.

Twilight backed away, shaking her head to deny such a claim, but her own spirit said something else. As she backed herself into the white spirit.

"There's no friendship in you, Twilight… We can feel your spirit,"Rarity spooked her and made Twilight fall back to the floor,"All you're feeling right now is the need to fix what you made, and take revenge."

"No! No! You don't understand! I do still value our magic of friendship!"Twilight pleaded her case with a yelp as the pink spirit landed on her head.

"Friendship and harmony has never been about revenge! Especially ours, Twilight,"Pinkie yelled, this scared Twilight into the middle of the nightmare,"Do you really want us back? Or do you just want things back to the way YOU wanted it to be… Because… Nothing can be the same…after what Maul did…"

"After…what you did…?"Applejack questioned after being tapped by Twilight.

"No…! No! NO! Stop! This isn't ALL my fault! It's not my fault!"The spirits whistled and screeched all around her, as if there was growing outrage.

Spike was backed against a wall, seeing Twilight's plan cave in to the outrage of her friends. They witnessed her madness and the ruined spirit within her body, it was all but dead. Replaced with an urge for revenge and fixing her own life.

"It's not! It… It…! It's,"Twilight was ready to blame Maul to the spirits, but then she remembered what started this whole creation of Maul,"It's… It's all YOUR FAULTS!"

The spirits froze, for Twilight's shout sparked resentment and what her heart truly believed.

"You pushed me into doing all this! Even now, I was pushed by the memory of all you to do what I've done,"Twilight began raising her resentful voice for all the pain she endured,"I made you all better because you all pushed me into it! Maul was created because of what I did for all of YOU!"

The spirits backed away, their friend's voice echoing with anger for what they tried to blame on her.

"DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THAT! I TOOK YOUR EVILS AWAY BECAUSE YOU BEGGED ME TO DO IT,"Twilight's madness reached it's peak as she lashed out at her friends,"I DID IT BECAUSE I WAS A FRIEND TO YOU ALL! I THOUGHT AFTER ALL THIS TIME, YOU'D AT LEAST AFFORD ME THE SAME LUXURY!"

"Twilight…!"Spike feared of what her words would have done to her friends.

"SO? Are you all going to just…float around, and look down on me over this entire mess that we ALL created,"She questioned, her patience had completely disappeared and resentment took it's place,"Or do you all want to find your bodies, and rise to destroy this dark mare?!"

The spirits backed away further, as she gave them all a look of insanity and rage. Forcing them to make a decision that would plunge Ponyville into half a century of chaos and sorrow. And they regretted it from that day on, as the spirits slowly went through the walls and disappeared.

"Hey! Where are you all going?! You can't leave! I summoned you all here,"Twilight yelled to them, as all but Applejack had left to find their own path in the world,"You can't leave me here all alone again! Get back here! You're suppose to be my friends!"

These words made Applejack's spirit tremble and think harder than ever before. As she then slowly moved on, knowing that what she would do will cause repercussions.

"Applejack! Rarity! Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie! Come back,"She yelled, only to fall over to her side, bruising her cheek and growing uncomfortably quiet,"Please…! Any pony…? Come back…!"

"Twilight…? What…just happened? Where's our friends…going?"Spike asked and only a loud scream of every negative emotion sounded off through every corner of the castle.

* * *

The memory of her screams haunted the princess, for that was the very moment her spirit broke. Her mind found rational thinking in depression, and she truly caved into Maul after realizing her friends were gone. Tears gleaming all the way down her cheeks as she reflected on her mistake. Forcing her friends away as her harmony and magic of friendship died from within. But then something came to mind and her heart, it felt warm again, and full of spirit regardless of her misery.

Blank was that something, the quiet yet spirited friend that simply arrived and started fixing everything. She healed the hearts of many ponies, her spontaneous magic helped to rebuild the town. She even awoke the once dead spirit of friendship itself within Twilight herself. There was not a single thing Twilight would not do for Blank, she cared about her, she loved her. She was everything her friends once were, and her fresh minded innocence was too much to ignore.

Because of that, she could feel it, the magic of friendship flowing through her body. Ready to do what it always manage to do in the presence of disharmony, but there was a new problem. That friend was currently not here, she was somewhere else, heart broken and confused about her origins. She needed her, it was time for Twilight to be a friend to Blank, just like she was to her. She wiped her eyes, and finally manage to form a smile, confident for the first time in a long time.

Then she heard a knocking at the door and turned to walk to it, though she already knew who it was. Once she had opened, there stood her brother and Cadence, full of guilt after the fight they had.

"Twily, can we talk?"Shining asked and she merely exited the room.

"Maybe later, right now I need to go find Blank, and explain myself to her."Twilight passed by them, taking to the halls to find her friend.

"Then…can I at least apologize for earlier? I get that I was a bit hard on you about Blank,"Shining Armor admitted that he was in the wrong about the issue surrounding the mare of white,"I didn't know how special she was to you, and…what she meant for you and this town…"

"She's the pony that's reviving your magic of friendship, isn't she? That's what her true purpose has been all this time,"Cadence suddenly offered an assumption she had made after understanding her connection to the other five mares,"All this time she was created as the perfect friend that you needed to remember the importance of friendship."

Twilight paused, for this only gave her even more revelation that she could smile at.

"Yes… And she did that for me and then some… And you know what? She's still here,"Twilight revealed, proving that Blank truly had to be a living and breathing pony with a heart,"If she weren't… She would either die or disappear, but she's still alive and trying to live as a pony. Like she always wanted to be…"

"Twilight! She's gone! Blank left the castle!"Spike shouted after rushing down the hall till he met up with them.

"What? Did you see where she might have went, Spike?"Twilight asked, concern grew, learning of her friend's departure.

"She left for the nearest exit. She didn't look happy after what she learned."Spike answered, as they all went silent, realizing Blank was experiencing sadness and injured feelings for the first time.

"She needs us. I'll ask that you two stay here with Flurry Heart, and Spike we'll be coming with me,"Twilight took charge and decided on what came next,"Come Spike, we need to find and help our friend."

"Are you sure you wouldn't want us to come with-"

"It's not a good idea for any pony to be alone these days. Maul is looking for an opportunity,"Twilight was quick to answer Cadence before she could finish her question,"Just stay here and stay together. Spike is all the help I need. Come on, Spike!"

"You got it, Twilight!"Twilight took off for the exit, and Spike was quick to follow.

The Crystal couple watched them leave, hoping they would retrieve their lost friend. As they then left to go find their daughter, it at least gave them some time to think of how to apologize to Blank.

* * *

Meanwhile, Applejack and the others were finishing their story of revival and abandonment. Needless to say, Blank found only more disappointment, sure they continued to say she was real, though it was without proof. However, as she sat in the grass, listening to the story. It at least gave her a better understanding of what she was here for and why she was made. Especially after they finished the story, and admitted another truth.

"And that's it… We were so mad, and confused… We failed to understand what she had endured,"Applejack started to conclude the story for Blank,"We failed to realize that WE pushed her into taking away what made us…US… That we just left her, broken and forgetting the magic of friendship for five decades…"

"After awhile, we felt so bad… We needed to figure out a way to help fix the mess we created."Fluttershy added the more obvious info, and Blank nodded.

"Then something happened! Our magic just finally came to life when we thought about Twilight so much,"Pinkie Pie exclaimed, and surprised Blank by admitting that her creation was not of the spirit's making,"And it just started bringing you to life in the middle of the shrine. Next thing we knew, the magic just put us in you, and here we are!"

"So… Basically. You're not a puppet or even just made up of all of us,"Applejack informed Blank, and her eyes were wide, for she now began to feel as if she could believe it,"You're a fresh new pony that if I had to guess… You were created to be the friend that we should have been…"

A long gasp finally left Blank, learning probably the most glorious truth of them all. She grasped herself, for it felt like a warm explosion of sudden feelings cloaked over her body. The warmth only grew warmer as her eyes shined at the moonlight, and an open mouth smile started to form.

"And if anything else… We only hitched a ride so that you can teach us a serious lesson,"Rainbow decided to lift her spirit even by admitting something that they learned while watching through Blank's eyes,"You taught us what it means to be a real friend… Giving what you can, never expect anything in return, and never give up on some pony no matter what…!"

"And… We'll never forget the lesson you taught us… Blank Slate…"They all said together, and another tear rolled down Blank's cheek, as the full smile formed, and she was able to experience the purest of happiness.

 _ **With that, hopefully we can reflect on these more hidden aspects of friendship. Things that MLP merely touched upon, due to the complexities of this friendship requirement. Give what you're willing to give, never expect things in return, and if you believe there's a chance for redemption, never give up on that friend, and they'll never give up on you. There's a bit to go, but we are in fact reaching the end my friends, the climax is arriving. Be ready, and stay pony every one.**_


End file.
